📖 Meaning
Greed for personal gain clouds one's judgment and makes one lose all sense of reason. It is a variant of the more common idiom '利令智昏', both warning that the desire for profit can muddle the mind. The idiom describes someone who, in the face of temptation, forgets about consequences and right from wrong.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom appears in the Qing Dynasty novel '镜花缘' (Flowers in the Mirror), Chapter 92, authored by Li Ruzhen (李汝珍). In the original passage, a character laments that when profit is placed right before one's eyes, one forgets the word 'harm'—this is precisely what is called '利令志惛,' prompting a deep sigh. The expression draws on a long tradition of moral philosophy cautioning that greed impairs rational judgment.
💡 Example Usage
他利令志惛，竟为一点小利出卖了多年的好友。
Blinded by greed, he actually betrayed his longtime friend for a trifling profit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 利令志惛
- Pinyin: lì lìng zhì zào
- Literal Translation: profit, causes, mind, muddled
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4