利欲熏心的俗人罢了
“and greedy.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
肤浅
“were nothing but narrow, shallow,”
利欲熏心的俗人罢了
“and greedy.”
Direct spoken expression in this communicative setting.
Traditional Chinese ethics contrast noble minds who prioritize righteousness against petty, worldly men consumed by material gain (利欲熏心), often treating the latter with sharp philosophical scorn.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
blinded by greed and worldly ambition
A classic four-character idiom describing someone obsessed with profit and status to the point of losing moral judgment.
merely a common, vulgar mortal
Combines '俗人' (someone caught up in earthly pettiness) with '罢了' (nothing more than) to show condescension.
Minimizes the importance of the subject, conveying dismissiveness and contempt by framing them as 'nothing more than'.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“That's driven by human greed.”
“there was only profit and insatiable greed.”
“"Those with deep cravings have shallow understanding."”
“Yet for your own greed,”
“she could not withstand endless human greed.”
“to manipulate people.”