Meaning
奢侈 describes something expensive, luxurious, or indulgent beyond basic necessity. It can refer to lavish spending, high-end products, or an extravagant lifestyle. The term often carries a connotation of excess or wastefulness, though in modern consumer contexts it can simply mean 'luxury' without negative judgment.
Usage
Native speakers use 奢侈 to describe both material goods (奢侈品 'luxury goods') and behaviors or lifestyles involving excessive spending. In economic contexts, it's neutral, but in moral or critical contexts, it suggests wastefulness. Common in discussions of consumer culture, fashion, and economic class. The phrase 奢侈品 (luxury goods) is extremely common in modern Mandarin.
Examples
- 01这个包太奢侈了，我买不起。, .This bag is too luxurious; I can't afford it.
- 02对我来说，每天喝咖啡都是一种奢侈。, .For me, drinking coffee every day is a luxury.
Characters
Common collocations
- 奢侈品luxury goods
- 奢侈的生活luxurious lifestyle
- 过于奢侈excessively extravagant
- 奢侈浪费extravagant and wasteful
Antonyms
Origin
Both characters independently mean extravagance or excess. 奢 originally depicted spreading or extending beyond limits, while 侈 combines the person radical with a phonetic component suggesting expansion or excessiveness.