笑贫不笑娼

xiào pín bù xiào chāng

the notion in society that it's better to get ahead in the world by abandoning one's scruples than to suffer poverty

lit. despising poverty but not prostitution (idiom)

笑

xiào

to laugh; to smile

贫

pín

poor

不

bù

no; not so

笑

xiào

to laugh; to smile

娼

chāng

prostitute