笑贫不笑娼

Traditional: 笑貧不笑娼

xiào pín bù xiào chāng

Dictionary entry

the notion in society that it's better to get ahead in the world by abandoning one's scruples than to suffer poverty

What does 笑贫不笑娼 mean?

笑贫不笑娼 (xiào pín bù xiào chāng) has the following dictionary meaning.

1the notion in society that it's better to get ahead in the world by abandoning one's scruples than to suffer poverty

2lit. despising poverty but not prostitution (idiom)

Character breakdown

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笑xiàoold variant of 笑[xiao4]贫pínpoor · inadequate 不bùno; not so · (bound form) not; un-娼chāngprostitute

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How to pronounce 笑贫不笑娼

笑贫不笑娼

xiào pín bù xiào chāng

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.