财路 (cái lù) — source of wealth, way to make money

Definition

财路 refers to a personal source of income or money-making channel — concrete, countable (一条条财路), not abstract wealth. Often used in business contexts about expanding or losing one's livelihood.

noun
source of wealthway to make money

Examples

  • 财路。
    Tā zuì jìn zhǎo dào le yì tiáo xīn de cái lù.
    He recently found a new way to make money.
  • ，财路。
    Chuàng yè shī bài hòu, tā de cái lù duàn le.
    After his startup failed, his source of income was cut off.
  • 财路，。
    Zuò shēng yi yào guǎng kāi cái lù, bù néng zhī kào yí gè kè hù.
    In business, you need to open up multiple revenue streams; you can't rely on just one customer.

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.

财cáiwealth
路lùpath

The wealth of 财 combines with the path of 路 to suggest a way to gain money.

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 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 →

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
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →

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