蠅營狗苟
Chinese
| fly; musca | army; to deal in; to trade army; to deal in; to trade; to operate; to run; camp; nourishment; to manage |
dog | if indeed; thoughtless | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (蠅營狗苟) | 蠅 | 營 | 狗 | 苟 | |
| simp. (蝇营狗苟) | 蝇 | 营 | 狗 | 苟 | |
| alternative forms | 狗苟蠅營／狗苟蝇营 | ||||
| Literally: “swarm as flies do for good; hang round as dogs do for food”. | |||||
Etymology
- 朝悔其行，暮已復然。蠅營狗苟，驅去復還。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Tang Dynasty, Han Yu, 《送窮文》
- Zhāo huǐ qí xíng, mù yǐ fù rán. Yíngyínggǒugǒu, qū qù fù huán. [Pinyin]
- In the morning, I regret my behavior, but in the evening, it all returns to the same. The five ghosts attached to me, I can't drive them away. (This is to say that he holds his good qualities very firmly, hence 蠅營狗苟 here should be understood literally.)
朝悔其行，暮已复然。蝇营狗苟，驱去复还。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Idiom
蠅營狗苟
- (figuratively) to shamelessly seek personal gain; profit by ingratiating oneself with the rich
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