见钱眼开
jiàn qián yǎn kāi
eyes light up at the sight of money; greedy
Character by character
见jiàn
see
see
钱qián
money
money
眼yǎn
eyes
eyes
开kāi
open
open
Example
这个人见钱眼开，只要给他好处，什么都肯干。
He lights up at the sight of money; give him a cut and he will do anything.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
A sharp put-down of someone whose principles vanish the moment money appears, as in 见钱眼开的小人; insulting if said to someone’s face.
Learn this in Lesson 68 · HSK 6: 反诈 (Phone and online scams)
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