发横财 (fā hèng cái) — to strike it rich (suddenly or by dishonest means)

Definition

'Strike it rich' — usually sudden, unexpected, or ill-gotten wealth (a windfall, lottery, shady deal), not earned through steady work.

verb
to strike it rich (suddenly or by dishonest means)

Examples

  • 发横财。
    Tā jū rán fā hèng cái le.
    He unexpectedly struck it rich.
  • ，。
    Tā fā le yì bǐ hèng cái, mǎi le liàng chē.
    He came into a fortune and bought a car.
  • ，。
    Nà ge rén fā guò jǐ cì hèng cái, dàn dōu méi liú zhù.
    That person struck it rich several times but never held onto the money.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

发fāacquire
横财unexpected wealth
横héngunexpected财cáiwealth
偏正Modifier + head

发 means acquire or bring forth, and 横财 means unexpected wealth, so it means striking it rich.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

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 橫; 横 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
黃
黃huáng橫héng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 橫 has 木, meaning wood, beside 黃, which supplies the sound; the simplified 横 is a later abbreviation.

Open 横 →

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 財; 财 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell
Sound part声符shēngfú
才
才cái財cái
Same sound today

The traditional form 財 has 貝 (shell) next to 才, which gives the sound; the simplified 财 is a later shorthand.

Open 财 →

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