粪土

糞土
fèntǔ
noun #30,751

Meanings

  1. 1 dung and dirt
  2. 2 (figuratively) a worthless thing

Examples

Tā shì jīnqián rú fèntǔ.
He regards money as worthless dirt.
Zài tā yǎn zhōng, mínglì bùguò shì fèntǔ.
In his eyes, fame and fortune are nothing but dung.

Tips

usage
粪土 is almost always used figuratively in the set frame ...粪土 ('regard ... as dung'), to describe someone who scorns wealth, fame, or worldly things. Mao Zedong's famous line 粪土当年 ('treated the high lords of yesteryear as dung') made this phrasing iconic.
register
Literary and emphatic. In ordinary speech, you wouldn't call something 粪土 — you'd say 不值钱 (worthless). Reserve 粪土 for declarations of contempt.

Stroke Order

fèn