利令智昏
lì lìng zhì hūn
blinded by the lure of gain
Character by character
利lì
profit
profit
令lìng
make
make
智zhì
wits
wits
昏hūn
dim
dim
Example
他一时利令智昏，竟然把公司的钱偷偷拿去炒股。
In a moment of greed he lost his head and secretly took the company’s money to play the stock market.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
From 《史记》: 司马迁 quotes it as a common saying (鄙语) about Lord Pingyuan of Zhao, whose greed for new territory led to the disaster at Changping. It describes a person whose desire for gain overrides judgement or conscience, often in 一时利令智昏.
Learn this in Lesson 188 · HSK 7–9: P2P的兴衰 (The rise and fall of P2P lending)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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