铜臭 (tóng chòu) — (derogatory) the stench of money; vulgar obsession with wealth

Definition

Literally 'the stink of copper (money)', this literary, derogatory noun mocks someone whose every thought smells of money and profit. Use it for writers, merchants, or officials — not everyday 'rich'.

noun
(derogatory) the stench of moneyvulgar obsession with wealth

Examples

  • 铜臭，。
    Tā mǎn shēn tóng chòu, zuò shén me shì dōu zhī xiǎng zhe qián.
    He reeks of the stench of money — everything he does is only about money.
  • 铜臭，。
    Zhè piān wén zhāng chōng mǎn le tóng chòu, dú qǐ lái lìng rén fǎn gǎn.
    This article is full of the stench of money; it's repulsive to read.
  • 铜臭，。
    Nà zhǒng tóng chòu de shāng rén, zuì zhōng huì shī qù péng you hé xìn yù.
    That kind of merchant reeking of money will eventually lose friends and credibility.

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.

铜tóngmoney/copper
臭chòustench

铜 'money/copper' and 臭 'stench' together name the stench of 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 銅; 铜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng銅tóng
Same sound today

The traditional form 銅 pairs 金 (metal) with 同 as the sound part; the simplified 铜 is a shorthand.

Open 铜 →

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

臭 combines 自 (nose) and 犬 (dog), referring to a dog's strong sense of smell; it originally meant 'to smell'.

Open 臭 →

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