拜金女
bàijīn nǚfeminine
The English phrase 'gold digger' is translated into Chinese as 拜金女 (bàijīn nǚ) or 拜金男.
Meaning: person who cultivates a personal relationship in order to attain money or material goods, power (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 拜金女 | bàijīn nǚ | feminine |
| 拜金男 | bàijīn nán | masculine |
The term describes a person who cultivates a personal relationship in order to attain money or material goods, power.
What does it mean word for word?
The component 拜金 (bàijīn) literally means 'worshiping money'.
Which one should you use?
Use 拜金女 for a female gold digger and 拜金男 for a male gold digger. Note that while these terms refer to the person, the term 拜金主义 refers to the ideology of materialism or money worship.
How does it change in a sentence?
The terms are gender-specific: 拜金女 is the feminine form and 拜金男 is the masculine form.
How do you pronounce it?
bàijīn nǚ
Did you know?
- While 拜金女 is common, Chinese slang also uses 捞女 (lāo nǚ), which literally means 'scooping woman', referring to someone who 'scoops' money from men.
- The verb 拜 in 拜金 is the same word used for bowing or paying respects to ancestors and deities, suggesting that the gold digger treats money as a literal god.
- The term 拜金男 is a newer addition to the language, as the concept of a gold digger was historically viewed as a female-specific behavior in Chinese culture.
Examples in context
- 她是一个典型的拜金女。Tā shì yīgè diǎnxíng de bàijīnnǚ.She is a typical gold digger.
- 我不喜欢那种拜金女。Wǒ bù xǐhuān nà zhǒng bàijīnnǚ.I don't like that kind of gold digger.
- 大家都在说她是拜金女。Dàjiā dōu zài shuō tā shì bàijīnnǚ.Everyone is saying she is a gold digger.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a girl they saw at a luxury party.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那个女孩看起来很像拜金女。Nàge nǚhái kàn qǐlái hěn xiàng bàijīnnǚ.That girl looks like a gold digger.
- 佳怡 Jiayi志强，你说话太伤人了。Zhìqiáng, nǐ shuōhuà tài shāng rén le.Zhiqiang, you are being too harsh.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我只是在描述事实。Wǒ zhǐshì zài miáoshù shìshí.I am just describing the facts.
- 佳怡 Jiayi可是你这样评价她很不公平。Kěshì nǐ zhèyàng píngjià tā hěn bù gōngpíng.But it is very unfair of you to judge her like that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gold digger” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 拜金男, CC BY-SA 4.0.
