贪 (tān): to covet

Meanings

1 to covet
2 greedy
3 corrupt
4 to have a voracious desire for

Characters

贪

tān

greedy; to covet

Examples

不要贪便宜。

Bùyào tān piányi.

Don't be greedy for cheap bargains.

他贪了很多钱。

Tā tān le hěnduō qián.

He embezzled a lot of money.

贪多嚼不烂。

Tānduōjiáobùlàn.

Bite off more than you can chew.

Tips

usage

贪 forms many compounds: 贪心 (greedy), 贪婪 (avaricious), 贪官 (corrupt official), 贪污 (corruption/embezzlement). In anti-corruption context, 贪 specifically means 'to take bribes / embezzle.'

Components

radical

贝 bèi

cowrie; money

Cowrie radical at the bottom — picture of the cowrie shells used as currency in early Chinese civilization. Carries the meaning: greed is craving for wealth. Sits with 财 wealth, 贵 expensive, 货 goods, 贩 trader, 贪官 corrupt-official — the whole financial-vice family is built on this little shell.

phonetic

今 jīn

now; today (here phonetic)

Top 今 supplies the sound — jīn shifting to tān, an unusual k-/t- alternation rooted in Old Chinese consonant clusters that left modern doublets like 含 hán / 贪 tān. 今's 'now' meaning has no role here. The phonetic family is small but tight: 含 contain, 念 think-of, 琴 zither — all jin or yin-readers.