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贪心 (tān xīn) — greed, avarice, insatiable desire

Definition

As a noun, 贪心 names the trait of always wanting more — greed, insatiable desire. Unlike 贪婪 (which can be adjective or noun), 贪心 is used more for everyday wants, not just wealth.

noun
greedavariceinsatiable desire

Examples

  • 贪心。
    tān xīn Shì rén xìng zhōng cháng jiàn de ruò diǎn zhī yī.
    Greed is one of the common weaknesses in human nature.
  • 贪心。
    Tā yīn wèi tān xīn ér shī qù le suǒ yǒu de péng you.
    He lost all his friends because of greed.
  • 贪心。
    Duì cái fù de tān xīn zuì zhōng huì dǎo zhì rén zǒu xiàng huǐ miè.
    Greed for wealth will eventually lead one to destruction.

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.

贪tāngreedy
心xīnheart/mind

贪 (greedy) describes 心 (heart/mind): greed or an insatiable desire.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貪; 贪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèimoney
Sound part声符shēngfú
今
今jīn貪tān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貪 places 今 (open mouth) above 貝 (money); 今 gives the sound, and 貝 relates to the meaning. 贪 is the simplified shorthand.

Open 贪 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →
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Personality & Traits

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