Definition
暴利 (bào lì) refers to excessive profits far above normal, almost always implying illegal, unethical, or unfair means. 盈利 (yíng lì) is a neutral financial term for any profit or surplus. 暴利 carries a negative judgment and appears in condemnatory contexts (e.g., 非法暴利), while 盈利 is used in neutral business reports.
noun
excessive profitswindfall profits (often obtained through illegal or unethical means)
Easily confused
- 暴力bào lìsound-alikeviolence; (physical) force
Examples
- 暴利。Tā tōngguò lǒngduàn shìchǎng huòqǔ le jù'é bào lì.He obtained huge excessive profits by monopolizing the market.
- 暴利。Zhè zhǒng bào lì shì jiànlì zài sǔnhài xiāofèizhě lìyì de jīchǔ shàng de.This kind of excessive profit is built on harming consumers' interests.
- 暴利。Zhèngfǔ chūtái zhèngcè dǎjī fēifǎ bào lì.The government introduced policies to crack down on illegal excessive profits.
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