物欲 (wù yù) — desire for material wealth; worldly desires

Definition

物欲 refers to craving for material possessions and physical comforts — often framed negatively in writing as something to guard against or transcend. Common in philosophical, religious, and reflective contexts.

noun
desire for material wealthworldly desires

Examples

  • 物欲，。
    Xiàn dài rén wù yù tài qiáng, róng yì gǎn dào yā lì.
    Modern people have too strong a desire for material things and easily feel pressure.
  • 物欲，。
    Tā bù zhuī qiú wù yù, zhī xiǎng guò jiǎn dān de shēng huó.
    He does not pursue material desires; he only wants to live a simple life.
  • 物欲。
    Guò dù de wù yù huì ràng rén shī qù kuài lè.
    Excessive material desire can make people lose happiness.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

物wùmaterial things
欲yùdesire

物欲 joins 物 'material things' with 欲 'desire' to mean craving for worldly possessions.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
牛牛niú
Sound part声符shēngfú
勿
勿wù物wù
Same sound today

物 puts 牛 beside 勿: 牛 gives the meaning, and 勿 gives the sound.

Open 物 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
欠欠qiàn
Sound part声符shēngfú
谷
谷gǔ欲yù
Same sound today

欲 is made of 谷, which supplies the sound, and 欠, which relates to the meaning.

Open 欲 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.