Yìshù yídàn zhānshàng tóngxiù, jiù shīqù le yuánlái de wèidao.
Once art is tainted by the smell of money, it loses its original flavour.
Tips
mistakes
臭 is read xiù here, the old word for 'smell', not chòu 'stinking'. The standard reading is tóngxiù, though tóngchòu is often heard.
history
Offices were sold under 汉灵帝. When 崔烈 paid five million cash to become 司徒, one of the three highest ministers, his son 崔钧 told him that people disliked the 铜臭 on him, the smell of copper coins.
