贪 (tān): greedy
贪 (tān) is a Chinese character meaning “greedy.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 今 (phonetic) and 贝 (semantic). It ranks #1855 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 贪 money. Its radical form 贝 (shell) appears in many related characters such as 贵 (guì, abbr. for Guizhou Province 貴州|贵州[Gui4 zhou1]), 负 (fù, to bear), 责 (zé, responsibility).
Definitions
- greedy
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 贪 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 贪婪 | tān lán | avaricious |
| 贪心 | tān xīn | greedy |
| 贪污 | tān wū | to be corrupt |
| 贪得无厌 | tān dé wú yàn | avaricious and insatiable (idiom) |
| 贪吃 | tān chī | gluttonous |
| 贪欲 | tān yù | greed |
| 贪图 | tān tú | to covet |
| 贪财 | tān cái | to be greedy in getting money |
| 贪恋 | tān liàn | to cling to |
| 贪生怕死 | tān shēng pà sǐ | greedy for life, afraid of death (idiom) |
| 贪官 | tān guān | corrupt official |
| 贪赃枉法 | tān zāng wǎng fǎ | corruption and abuse of the law (idiom) |
| 起早贪黑 | qǐ zǎo tān hēi | to be industrious, rising early and going to bed late |
| 贪杯 | tān bēi | to drink in excess |
| 贪求 | tān qiú | to pursue greedily |
贪 appears in 43 compound words: 86 as the first character, 2 as the last, and 12 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 贪 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (13)
to cravenly cling to life and fear death; to be cowardly and afraid of death
to cravenly cling to life and fear death; to be cowardly and afraid of death
Showing 12 of 13 idioms containing 贪.
Example Sentences
贪污腐败是社会的毒瘤，必须坚决打击。
Tānwū fǔbài shì shèhuì de dúliú, bìxū jiānjué dǎjī.
Corruption is a cancer of society and must be resolutely cracked down on.
张琼姿餐厅卷入高金素梅涉贪案 昔“车内密会潘若迪”险被离婚
zhāng 琼 zī cān tīng juǎn rù gāo jīn sù méi shè tān àn xī chē nèi mì huì pān ruò dí xiǎn bèi lí hūn
Zhang Qiongzi's restaurant was involved in Gao Jin Sumei's corruption case, and the former "secret meeting Pan Ruodi in the car" was almost divorced
高金素梅诈助理费再扩大!张琼姿餐厅卷贪污案
gāo jīn sù méi zhà zhù lǐ fèi zài kuò dà ! zhāng 琼 zī cān tīng juǎn tān wū àn
Gao Jin Sumei's fraud assistant fee is expanded again! Zhang Qiongzi's restaurant is involved in the corruption case
高金3大罪涉贪超过800万 防火墙将崩塌
gāo jīn 3 dà zuì shè tān chāo guò 8 0 0 wàn fáng huǒ qiáng jiāng bēng tā
The three major crimes of Gao Jin involved more than 8 million yuan in corruption, and the firewall will collapse
高金素梅涉贪扩大! 张琼姿餐厅卷入
gāo jīn sù méi shè tān kuò dà ! zhāng 琼 zī cān tīng juǎn rù
Gao Jin Sumei's corruption expands! Zhang Qiongzi's restaurant was involved
涉行贿800万换取贷款申请 反贪会捕前电讯公司董事
shè háng huì wàn huàn qǔ dài kuǎn shēn qǐng fǎn tān huì bǔ qián diàn xùn gōng sī dǒng shì
Ex-Telecom Director Arrested by Anti-Corruption Commission for Taking $8 Million in Bribes in Exchange for Loan Applications
人拥有得愈多，贪念就愈大。
Rén yōngyǒu de yù duō, tānniàn jiù yù dà.
The more we have, the greater our desire will be.
守财奴积聚钱财不是因为他谨慎，而是因为他贪婪。
Shǒucáinú jījù qiáncái bù shì yīnwèi tā jǐnshèn, érshì yīnwèi tā tānlán.
A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is greedy.
点了这么多甜点还是不满足，真是个贪吃鬼呢。
Diǎn le zhème duō tiándiǎn háishi bù mǎnzú, zhēnshi gè tānchīguǐ ne.
He ordered so many desserts and still felt unsatisfied. He's such a glutton.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 贪 (tān)?
Is 贪 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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