向钱看 (xiàng qián kān) — to be money-grubbing; to be mercenary

Definition

Set phrase meaning 'to be money-grubbing' — caring only about profit, with a negative judgment. Comes from the slogan ‘向前看’ (‘look forward’) with 看 swapped for 钱, often used to criticize someone's mercenary attitude.

verb
to be money-grubbingto be mercenary

Examples

  • 向钱看，。
    Tā shén me shì dōu xiàng qián kān, hěn ràng rén tǎo yàn.
    He's money-grubbing about everything, and it's really annoying.
  • 向钱看，。
    Zhè ge gōng sī zhī zhī dào xiàng qián kān, chǎn pǐn zhì liàng hěn chà.
    This company only cares about making money, and its product quality is terrible.
  • 向钱看，。
    Wǒ men bù néng zhī xiàng qián kān, yě yào zhù zhòng shè huì zé rèn.
    We can't just be money-oriented; we also need to pay attention to social responsibility.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

向 originally drew 宀 (house) with 口 to show an echo in a place; later it was used for direction.

Open 向 →

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 錢; 钱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal; gold; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
戔
戔jiān錢qián
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 錢 combines 金, meaning metal or money, with 戔, which gives the sound; the simplified 钱 is a later shorthand.

Open 钱 →

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

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

Open 看 →

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