📖 Meaning
The greater the profit one seeks, the swifter the disaster that follows. It warns that excessive greed and outsized gains inevitably invite rapid calamity. The idiom cautions against pursuing benefits beyond what one can safely manage.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the Book of the Later Han (后汉书), specifically the 'Biographies of Empresses and Consorts' section compiled by Fan Ye during the Liu Song dynasty of the Southern Dynasties. The text observes that those who bear heavy responsibilities and pursue deep profits face swift disasters, commenting on the dangers faced by imperial consorts and their families who gained immense wealth and power. It serves as a historical reflection on how fortune and ruin are intimately linked in the pursuit of excessive gain.
💡 Example Usage
商海沉浮，利深祸速，过度追求暴利者终难善终。
In the world of business, the greater the profit, the swifter the ruin—those who recklessly chase windfall gains rarely meet a good end.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 利深祸速
- Pinyin: lì shēn huò sù
- Literal Translation: profit, deep, disaster, swift
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4