饕 (tāo) - Ravenous & gluttonous

饕Tone 1

tāo ｜ 22 strokes ｜ radical:

檀婷

饕 · tāo

Ravenous;

gluttonous;

voracious;

greedy.

Often used in the compound 饕餮 (tāotiè) which refers to a mythical gluttonous beast in Chinese mythology and also means insatiable greed.

Ravenousgluttonousvoracious

Usage highlights

TaotieGluttonous beastRavenous appetiteGreedy personTaotie patternGluttonous feast

Synonyms

  • 贪— greedy
  • 馋— gluttonous

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The mythical creature is known as the taotie (饕餮).
  • He has a ravenous appetite (饕餮之口).
  • The greedy official was described as a taotie (饕餮之徒).

Collocations

  • Taotie(饕餮)
  • Gluttonous beast(饕餮之兽)
  • Ravenous appetite(饕餮之口)
  • Greedy person(饕餮之徒)
  • Taotie pattern(饕餮纹)
  • Gluttonous feast(饕餮盛宴)

Idioms

  • The Taotie's greed(饕餮之贪)
  • Like a taotie devouring(如饕餮般吞食)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 饕餮 (tāotiè) is a mythical creature from Chinese mythology, often depicted as a gluttonous beast.
  • The taotie motif is commonly found on ancient Chinese ritual bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
  • In modern usage, 饕餮 is used metaphorically to describe extreme greed or gluttony.

FAQ