yù
鬻
sell; vend (literary)
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to sell; to trade (in literary or classical Chinese)
literaryUsed exclusively in literary, classical, or formal written contexts. Common in set phrases such as 卖官鬻爵. Not used in modern spoken Mandarin.
Tā他
kào靠
yù鬻
huà画
wéi为
shēng生
。
He made his living by selling paintings.
Gǔ古
dài代
yǒu有
xiē些
guān官
yuán员
mài卖
guān官
yù鬻
jué爵
，
fǔ腐
bài败
zhì至
jí极
。
In ancient times, some officials sold official posts and titles, being utterly corrupt.
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Yù鬻
wén文
wéi为
shēng生
zhě者
，
duō多
qīng清
pín贫
ér而
shǒu守
zhì志
。
Those who made a living by selling their writings were mostly poor but maintained their integrity.