不义之财 bù yì zhī cái Ill-gotten gains

Explanation

不义之财，指的是通过不正当手段获得的钱财，例如偷窃、诈骗、贪污等。这种钱财不仅来源不合法，而且会带来道德上的谴责，因为它违背了公平、正义的原则。

Ill-gotten gains refer to money obtained through illegal means, such as stealing, fraud, corruption, etc. This kind of money is not only illegal in origin, but also brings moral condemnation because it violates the principles of fairness and justice.

Origin Story

战国时期，有个名叫苏秦的人，为了实现自己的政治抱负，四处游说各国诸侯。他为了能说服各国诸侯，就找了个能说会道的先生，请他教自己如何游说。先生说：“要想说服人，就要了解他们的喜好，然后投其所好，才能达到目的。”苏秦听了，就到一个富商家去，想学习一些做生意的技巧。富商家说：“做生意要有眼光，要会抓住机会。最重要的是，要懂得如何获得利润。”苏秦听了，就对富商家说：“我听说您是位很有经验的商人，请您指点指点我，如何才能获得利润？”富商家说：“我告诉你，赚钱有很多方法，但是最简单、最有效的方法就是不义之财。”苏秦听了，心里很不舒服，就对富商家说：“不义之财是不能取的，这是违背道德的行为。我宁愿穷困潦倒，也不愿做这种事情。”富商家听了，哈哈大笑说：“你真是个傻子，你不懂，钱才是王道，只要能赚钱，什么方法都可以用。”苏秦听了，更加坚定了自己的信念，认为做人要堂堂正正，不能为了钱而失去自己的道德底线。

zhàn guó shí qī, yǒu gè míng jiào sū qín de rén, wèi le shí xiàn zì jǐ de zhèng zhì bào fú, sì chù yóu shuō gè guó zhū hóu. tā wèi le néng shuō fú gè guó zhū hóu, jiù zhǎo le gè néng shuō huì dào de xiān sheng, qǐng tā jiào zì jǐ rú hé yóu shuō. xiān sheng shuō: “yào xiǎng shuō fú rén, jiù yào liǎo jiě tā men de xǐ hào, rán hòu tóu qí suǒ hǎo, cái néng dá dào mù dì.” sū qín tīng le, jiù dào yī gè fù shāng jiā qù, xiǎng xué xí yī xiē zuò shēng yì de jì qiǎo. fù shāng jiā shuō: “zuò shēng yì yào yǒu yǎn guāng, yào huì zhuā zhù jī huì. zuì zhòng yào de shì, yào dǒng de rú hé huò dé lì rùn.” sū qín tīng le, jiù duì fù shāng jiā shuō: “wǒ tīng shuō nín shì wèi hěn yǒu jīng yàn de shāng rén, qǐng nín zhǐ diǎn zhǐ diǎn wǒ, rú hé cái néng huò dé lì rùn?” fù shāng jiā shuō: “wǒ gào su nǐ, zhuàn qián yǒu hěn duō fāng fǎ, dàn shì zuì jiǎn dān, zuì yǒu xiào de fāng fǎ jiù shì bù yì zhī cái.” sū qín tīng le, xīn lǐ hěn bù shū fú, jiù duì fù shāng jiā shuō: “bù yì zhī cái shì bù néng qǔ de, zhè shì wéi bèi dào dé de xíng wéi. wǒ nìng yuàn qióng kùn liáo dǎo, yě bù yuàn zuò zhè zhǒng shì qíng.” fù shāng jiā tīng le, hā hā dà xiào shuō: “nǐ zhēn shì gè shǎ zi, nǐ bù dǒng, qián cái shì wáng dào, zhǐ yào néng zhuàn qián, shén me fāng fǎ dōu kě yǐ yòng.” sū qín tīng le, gèng jiā jiān dìng le zì jǐ de xìn niàn, rèn wéi zuò rén yào táng táng zhèng zhèng, bù néng wèi le qián ér shī qù zì jǐ de dào dé dǐ xiàn.

During the Warring States period, there was a man named Su Qin who traveled around to persuade the princes of various states to achieve his political ambitions. In order to persuade the princes of the various states, he found a eloquent teacher who taught him how to persuade. The teacher said, "To convince someone, you must know their preferences and then appeal to them to achieve your goal." Su Qin listened and went to a wealthy businessman to learn some business skills. The wealthy businessman said, "Business requires vision and the ability to seize opportunities. Most importantly, you must know how to make a profit." Su Qin listened and said to the wealthy businessman, "I hear you're a very experienced businessman. Please give me some pointers on how to make a profit." The wealthy businessman said, "I'll tell you, there are many ways to make money, but the simplest and most effective is ill-gotten gains." Su Qin listened and felt uncomfortable. He said to the wealthy businessman, "Ill-gotten gains cannot be taken, this is an immoral act. I'd rather be poor and destitute than do that." The wealthy businessman listened and laughed loudly: "You're a fool, you don't understand, money is power, as long as you make money, you can use any method." Su Qin listened and became even more convinced in his belief that one should be upright and honest as a person and not sacrifice one's moral principles for money.

Usage

这个成语用来形容通过不正当手段获得的钱财，也用来批评贪婪的人，强调道德的重要性。

zhè ge chéng yǔ yòng lái xíng róng tōng guò bù zhèng dāng shǒu duàn huò dé de qián cái, yě yòng lái pī píng tān lán de rén, qiáng diào dào dé de zhòng yào xìng.

This idiom is used to describe money obtained through unfair means, and also to criticize greedy people, emphasizing the importance of morality.

Examples

  • 他拒绝接受这笔不义之财。

    tā jù jué jiē shòu zhè bǐ bù yì zhī cái.

    He refused to accept this ill-gotten gain.

  • 贪官污吏常常以不义之财来满足自己的私欲。

    tān guān wū lì cháng cháng yǐ bù yì zhī cái lái mǎn zú zì jǐ de sī yù.

    Corrupt officials often use ill-gotten gains to satisfy their own selfish desires.

  • 有些人不劳而获，总想获取不义之财。

    yǒu xiē rén bù láo ér huò, zǒng xiǎng huò dé bù yì zhī cái.

    Some people want to get ill-gotten gains without working.

Related Idioms

  • 贪污

  • 腐败

  • 黑钱

Opposite Idioms

  • 义举

  • 正当收入