利欲熏心 blinded by greed
Explanation
形容贪财图利的欲望迷住了心窍。
To describe a state where the desire for wealth and profit clouds one's judgment.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期，有个叫李白的诗人，他胸怀大志，一心想为国家做一番大事业。但他却始终困顿于仕途，无法实现自己的抱负。渐渐地，李白开始变得烦躁不安，他开始怀疑自己的人生价值，甚至开始迷失方向。一天，他独自一人漫步在长安城郊外，看见一群人正围着一个老乞丐，老乞丐手里拿着一块金灿灿的金子，正在得意地炫耀着。李白顿时心生羡慕，他觉得自己现在的生活和这个老乞丐相比简直是天壤之别。他甚至开始思考，如果自己能够拥有金山银山，那该是多么美好的事情啊！然而，他很快又清醒过来。他意识到自己追求的并不是金钱，而是实现自己的理想和抱负。他开始重新审视自己的生活，他开始反思自己过去的行为，他开始明白自己应该为了什么而活。于是，他写下了著名的诗篇《将进酒》。在诗中，他表达了自己对人生的感悟，他表达了自己对理想的追求，他表达了自己对人生价值的思考。他最终明白了，利欲熏心只会让人迷失自我，只有追寻理想才能让人生更有意义。
In the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai, who harbored great ambitions and wished to serve his country. However, he remained stuck in his bureaucratic career and was unable to achieve his aspirations. Gradually, Li Bai grew unhappy and started to doubt his own value, even losing his direction. One day, while strolling alone outside Chang'an, he saw a crowd gathered around an old beggar who was proudly displaying a shiny gold piece. Li Bai felt an immediate pang of envy. He compared his life to the beggar's and felt a great disparity. He even pondered how wonderful it would be if he himself possessed mountains of gold and silver. But he quickly came to his senses. He realized that he sought not money but the fulfillment of his ideals and aspirations. He began to reassess his life, reflect on his past actions, and understand what he should live for. Subsequently, he wrote the famous poem "Jiang Jin Jiu." In this poem, he expresses his understanding of life, his pursuit of ideals, and his thoughts on the value of life. Ultimately, he understood that greed leads to self-loss, and only by pursuing ideals can life be meaningful.
Usage
多用于形容人贪图钱财，不择手段。
Often used to describe people who pursue wealth by any means necessary.
Examples
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他利欲熏心，不择手段地追求财富。
tā lìyù xūnxīn, bùzéshǒuduàn de zhuīqiú cáifù.
He was blinded by greed, using any means necessary to pursue wealth.
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权力和利欲熏心让他变得面目全非。
quánlì hé lìyù xūnxīn ràng tā biàn de miànmùquánfēi.
Power and greed had changed his appearance beyond recognition.
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利欲熏心的人往往会失去理智。
lìyù xūnxīn de rén wǎngwǎng huì shīqù lǐzhì
People blinded by greed often lose their reason.