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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing wealth or riches with 财 (cái)

    Existence & Possession

    Explanation

    The noun 财 (cái) means "wealth," "riches," or "property." It is a classical and literary word often found in compounds like 财富 (wealth) or 发财 (to get rich). On its own, 财 has a more formal or literary tone.

    Examples

    • 人人都想发财,但不能走歪路。

      Rénrén dōu xiǎng fācái, dàn bù néng zǒu wāilù.

      Everyone wants to get rich, but you can't take a crooked path.

    • 他把所有的财都捐给了慈善机构。

      Tā bǎ suǒyǒu de cái dōu juān gěi le císhàn jīgòu.

      He donated all his wealth to charity.

    • 俗话说,人为财死,鸟为食亡。

      Súhuà shuō, rén wèi cái sǐ, niǎo wèi shí wáng.

      As the saying goes, people die for wealth, and birds die for food.

    • 人人都想发财,但不能走歪路。

      rénrén dōu xiǎng fācái, dàn bù néng zǒu wāilù.

      Everyone wants to get rich, but you can't take the wrong path.

    • 他把所有的财都捐给了慈善机构。

      tā bǎ suǒyǒu de cái dōu juān gěi le císhàn jīgòu.

      He donated all his wealth to charity.

    • 俗话说,人为财死,鸟为食亡。

      súhuà shuō, rén wèi cái sǐ, niǎo wèi shí wáng.

      As the saying goes, people die for wealth, and birds die for food.

    Expressing wealth or riches with 财 (cái) | Chinese Grammar