careerist; place-seeker; emolument-seeker
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
a person who seeks official salary and fame; careerist; place-seeker; social climber motivated by greed
archaicLiterally 'salary moth' (moth that eats away at official salaries), referring to officials who are greedy for emoluments and social status. A classical Chinese term with strong negative connotations, often used in historical or literary contexts to criticize corrupt or ambition-driven bureaucrats.
Zhè这
xiē些
lù禄
dù蠹
zhǐ只
zhī知
zuān钻
yíng营
，
bù不
gù顾
bǎi百
xìng姓
sǐ死
huó活
。
These careerists only know how to scheme for promotion, paying no heed to the life and death of the common people.
Guān官
chǎng场
zhōng中
chōng充
chì斥
zhe着
lù禄
dù蠹
zhī之
bèi辈
。
The officialdom is filled with such place-seekers.
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Tā他
bù不
yuàn愿
zuò做
lù禄
dù蠹
，
nìng宁
yuàn愿
guī归
yǐn隐
tián田
yuán园
。
He was unwilling to become an emolument-seeker, preferring instead to retreat to the countryside.