笑貧不笑娼

1. • the notion in society that it's better to get ahead in the world by abandoning one's scruples than to suffer poverty
2. • lit. despising poverty but not prostitution (idiom)

Character by character

• 笑(xiào)laugh
• 貧(pín)poor
• 不(bù)no
• 笑(xiào)laugh
• 娼(chāng)prostitute