贪

tān

to covet; greedy

Character

Strokes: 8
Radical: 贝 — sea shell
Made of: 今 modern, current 贝 sea shell
How it's built: Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

他并不是缺钱，而是贪得无厌，最终把事业毁了。 Tā bìng bú shì quē qián, ér shì tān dé wú yàn, zuìzhōng bǎ shìyè huǐ le. It was not that he lacked money; he was insatiably greedy, and in the end he destroyed his career.
他太贪了，什么好处都想占为己有。 Tā tài tān le, shénme hǎochù dōu xiǎng zhàn wéi jǐ yǒu. He is too greedy; he wants every benefit for himself.
别贪小便宜，便宜的背后常常是麻烦。 Bié tān xiǎo piányi, piányi de bèihòu chángcháng shì máfan. Don't covet small bargains; behind bargains there is often trouble.