势利眼

勢利眼
shìlìyǎn
noun #32,165

Meanings

  1. 1 snob
  2. 2 snobbish person
  3. 3 someone who judges others by status or wealth

Examples

Nàge diànyuán zhēnshì gè shìlìyǎn, kàn wǒ chuān de pǔtōng jiù bù lǐ wǒ.
That shop assistant is such a snob — saw I was dressed plainly and ignored me.
Bié zuò shìlìyǎn, rén bùkě màoxiàng.
Don't be a snob — you can't judge a person by appearance.

Tips

memory
Literally 'power-profit eyes' — the eyes that only see who has power () and money (). A vivid mental image: someone whose eyeballs scan you for your bank balance.
register
Colloquial and pointed — typical use is criticizing waiters, salesclerks, or social climbers who treat well-dressed/wealthy customers better. Stronger than English 'snob'; closer to 'kiss-up, kick-down' in tone.

Stroke Order

shì
yǎn