饕餮

tāotiè

noun

Meanings

1 taotie - mythical gluttonous beast
2 zoomorphic mask motif on Shang and Zhou bronzes
3 a glutton (figurative)
4 lavish (of a feast)

Characters

greedy for wealth

greedy for food

Examples

HSK 7-9

商周青铜器上常见饕餮纹。

Shāng Zhōu qīngtóngqì shàng chángjiàn tāotiè wén.

The taotie motif is common on Shang and Zhou bronze vessels.

HSK 7-9

这场婚宴简直是一顿饕餮大餐。

Zhè chǎng hūnyàn jiǎnzhí shì yí dùn tāotiè dàcān.

This wedding banquet is an absolute feast.

HSK 7-9

他是个十足的饕餮之徒。

Tā shì ge shízú de tāotiè zhī tú.

He's an utter glutton.

Tips

history

Per 《左传·文公十八年》, 饕 means greed for wealth and 餮 greed for food. Tradition lists 饕餮 as one of the 四凶 ('Four Fiends') of Yao and Shun's age. Its bug-eyed mask, a symmetrical face with no body, stares out from the most famous Shang ritual bronzes.

memory

Both characters share the 食 ('eat') radical - a built-in clue that this beast is all about devouring.

In Pop Culture

长城 Chángchéng

The Great Wall (2016 film)

Zhang Yimou's monster movie starring Matt Damon: the Great Wall is humanity's last defense against swarms of 饕餮 attacking every 60 years.

Stroke Order

饕 tāo

餮 tiè