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CHINESE CHARACTER

tān

贪

贪

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covet

Numbered pinyin
tan1
English meanings
be corrupt, practice graft, covet, hanker after

Stroke practice

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BUILDING BLOCKS

Structure & components

Top–bottom structure

Top–bottom arrangement: top 今; bottom 贝.

  • Top

    今
  • Bottom

    贝
    Explore parts · Enclosed from above

Meaning & sound clues

贝 is identified as the meaning component, associated with “money”.

今 is identified as the sound component (jīn). Its pronunciation may differ from the modern pronunciation of 贪.

This breakdown describes the written shape. A component's meaning does not always explain the meaning of the whole character.

Decomposition reference

⿱今贝

Source: Make Me a Hanzi (LGPL-3.0-or-later)
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Homophones

Characters with the same pinyin, regardless of tone.

Example sentences

Read the Chinese sentence, then check its English translation.

  1. 01

    tān贪xiǎo小biànyí便宜。

    Be greedy for petty gains.

  2. 02

    bù不tān贪xīn心。

    Not greedy.

  3. 03

    zhīzú知足cháng常lè乐。

    Contentment brings joy.

  4. 04

    chéngshi诚实běnfèn本分。

    Honest.

  5. 05

    qín勤jiǎn俭chí持jiā家。

    Thrifty.

  6. 06

    xīnānlǐdé心安理得。

    Peace of mind.

Explore words connected to this character.

  • 贪婪
  • 贪污
  • 贪玩儿