孔方

Chinese

		hole; surname	square; quadrilateral; place square; quadrilateral; place; region; direction; side; method; way; prescription; power; upright; just
simp. and trad. (孔方)		孔	方

Etymology

Chinese coins

So named as ancient Chinese coins were produced with a square hole in the middle.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): kǒngfāng

  (Zhuyin): ㄎㄨㄥˇ ㄈㄤ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: kǒngfāng
    • Zhuyin: ㄎㄨㄥˇ ㄈㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: kǒngfang
    • Wade–Giles: kʻung³-fang¹
    • Yale: kǔng-fāng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: koongfang
    • Palladius: кунфан (kunfan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰʊŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹ fɑŋ⁵⁵/

Noun

孔方

1. (figurative, humorous) money

   • 言食則餬口，道錢則孔方。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     言食则糊口，道钱则孔方。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: Yan Zhitui, The Family Instructions of Master Yan, 6^th century CE

     Yán shí zé húkǒu, dào qián zé kǒngfāng. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 調停惟賴孔方；紳士責言，控訴不遺餘力。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     调停惟赖孔方；绅士责言，控诉不遗余力。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Modern Times (novel)

     Diàotíng wéi lài kǒngfāng; shēnshì zé yán, kòngsù bùyíyúlì. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

• 孔方兄 (kǒngfāngxiōng)

 

References

• “Entry #78991”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.