贯朽粟陈 — “Exceedingly wealthy”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 贯朽粟陈?

钱串子断了，谷子烂了。比喻极富有。

贯朽粟陈 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Exceedingly wealthy”. So rich that money strings decay and grain rots from sheer accumulation and age. Literally, “Strings of cash coins decayed, millet spoiled”.

Frequency

贯朽粟陈 Pronunciation and Pinyin

贯朽粟陈 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
贯	guàn	8	pierce, connect, or link
朽	xiǔ	6	decay, rot, perish
粟	sù	12	millet grain
陈	chén	8	display, old, state

Example Sentence with 贯朽粟陈

这家百年老店积累了丰厚的财富，真是贯朽粟陈。

This century-old establishment has accumulated immense wealth, truly representing 'strings of cash coins decayed and grains rotted'.

Origin and Story of 贯朽粟陈

In the early Western Han Dynasty, Liu Bang implemented a series of measures to revive the economy, leading to rapid advancements in agricultural production. Emperors Wen and Jing continued to adhere to this established national policy.

As a result, coins in the national treasury piled up like mountains, and the strings used to thread them together decayed. Countless grains accumulated in granaries, overflowing the storage facilities, and had to be piled in the open air, with much of the millet rotting and becoming unfit for consumption.