垂涎三尺 drool three feet
Explanation
垂涎三尺，形容极其贪婪的样子，也形容非常眼热。
垂涎三尺 means to be extremely greedy, or to be very envious of something.
Origin Story
从前，在江南水乡，住着一位名叫王员外的富商。他家财万贯，富甲一方，却有一个嗜好，那就是喜欢收藏奇珍异宝。一天，王员外听说远方来了一个高人，带来了许多稀世珍宝。王员外闻讯后，便派人将高人请到家中，并备下丰盛的酒席款待他。高人酒过三巡后，便拿出一件件珍宝，向王员外展示。王员外看到这些珍宝，顿时垂涎三尺，恨不得立刻将它们据为己有。他不断地询问高人这些珍宝的价格，想要买下它们。高人却说：“这些珍宝不是用钱就能买到的，只有有缘人才能得到。”王员外听了，便更加心心念念，想要得到这些珍宝。他苦苦哀求高人，希望他能将珍宝卖给自己。高人被王员外缠得无奈，最终答应把其中一件珍宝卖给他，但价格却极其昂贵。王员外为了得到这件珍宝，倾尽家产，也不惜借债。最终，他终于买下了这件珍宝，并把它视为掌上明珠。从那以后，王员外便更加痴迷于收藏珍宝，只要听说哪里有稀奇古怪的东西，他就会不惜一切代价去购买，甚至为此倾家荡产。而他那份贪婪，也成了人们茶余饭后的谈资。
Once upon a time, in the watery region of the south of China, lived a rich merchant named Wang. He was a man of great wealth, and he was known for his affluence throughout the region. However, he had one particular fondness: he loved to collect rare and precious treasures. One day, Wang heard that a wise man had arrived from afar, bringing with him many rare treasures. Wang immediately sent messengers to invite the wise man to his home, and prepared a lavish feast for him. After the wise man had partaken in a few rounds of wine, he brought out one treasure after another, showcasing them to Wang. Wang was so taken by the treasures that his mouth watered. He desperately wanted to own them. He repeatedly asked the wise man about the prices of the treasures, hoping to buy them. However, the wise man replied: “These treasures cannot be bought with money, only those destined to receive them will obtain them.” Wang, however, remained determined to acquire the treasures. He pleaded with the wise man to sell them to him. Finally, the wise man, unable to withstand Wang's persistent begging, agreed to sell him one of the treasures, but at an extremely expensive price. To acquire this treasure, Wang spent all his wealth, even going as far as borrowing money. In the end, he finally bought the treasure, and cherished it as if it were the apple of his eye. From that day forward, Wang became even more obsessed with collecting treasures. Whenever he heard of anything strange or unusual, he would spare no expense to acquire it, even to the point of losing everything he had. His greed became the subject of gossip among people in the neighborhood.
Usage
垂涎三尺常用来形容一个人对某件事物非常贪婪或者渴望，例如：
垂涎三尺 is used to describe someone who is very greedy or eager for something, for example:
Examples
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看到那块美味的蛋糕，他顿时垂涎三尺。
kan dao na kuai mei wei de dan gao, ta dun shi chui xian san chi.
Seeing that delicious cake, he immediately drooled.
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这笔投资机会让人垂涎三尺。
zhe bi tou zi ji hui rang ren chui xian san chi
This investment opportunity is very attractive.