📖 Meaning
Refers to the relentless pursuit of profit and wealth by any means, especially through monopolistic control. The phrase describes someone who seeks to dominate a market or corner all gains for themselves, often at the expense of others.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the writings of Mencius (孟子) during the Warring States period. In ancient marketplaces, a cunning merchant would climb onto a high mound (垄断, later written as 龙断) to overlook all trading activities below, enabling him to seize every profitable opportunity before others could. Mencius recounted this story to condemn those who seek to monopolize wealth rather than engage in fair commerce. The modern Chinese word for monopoly, 垄断 (lǒngduàn), is directly derived from this classical anecdote.
💡 Example Usage
那些商人只顾龙断之登，全不顾百姓死活。
Those merchants care only about monopolizing profits, utterly indifferent to whether the common people live or die.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 龙断之登
- Pinyin: lóng duàn zhī dēng
- Literal Translation: dragon, cut off, possessive particle, climb
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4