名利双收 (míng lì shuāng shōu) — to win both fame and fortune

Definition

A 成语 meaning to gain both reputation and wealth at the same time — typically used for someone whose work or actions bring them success on both fronts.

idiom
to win both fame and fortune

Examples

  • ，名利双收。
    Tā tōng guò zì jǐ de nǔ lì, zhōng yú míng lì shuāng shōu.
    Through his own efforts, he finally won both fame and fortune.
  • 名利双收。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng ràng dǎo yǎn míng lì shuāng shōu.
    This movie brought the director both fame and fortune.
  • 名利双收，。
    Hěn duō shāng rén zhuī qiú míng lì shuāng shōu, dàn wǎng wǎng nán yǐ liǎng quán.
    Many businessmen pursue both fame and fortune, but it's often hard to have both.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

名利fame and profit
名míngfame利lìprofit
联合Side by side
双收both gained
双shuāngboth收shōugain
偏正Modifier + head

名 (fame) and 利 (profit) are both 收 (gained).

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

利 combines 禾 (grain) and 刀 (knife), showing a knife used to cut grain.

Open 利 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

双 is made of two 又 parts side by side. Repeating 又 gives the sense of a pair.

Open 双 →

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
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
丩
丩jiū收shōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

收 uses 攴 to show an action and 丩 as a sound clue; the old meaning was 'to arrest.'

Open 收 →

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