奇货可居 — “To hoard rare commodities”

奇货可居 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to hoard rare commodities”. Waiting for an opportune moment to sell them at a high price. Also, to regard something (like a unique talent, a specific skill, or even a person) as a rare asset to be strategically leveraged for personal gain, fame, or position when the timing is right. Literally, “Rare commodities worth hoarding; A rare commodity that can be stocked up”.

Frequency

奇货可居 Pronunciation and Pinyin

奇货可居 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
奇	qí	8	special, surprising, or odd
货	huò	8	goods, commodity, cargo
可	kě	5	can, may, suitable
居	jū	8	to live or reside

Example Sentence with 奇货可居

他把自己的独特技术当作奇货可居，等待最佳时机以获得更高的报酬

He regarded his unique skill as a rare commodity to be hoarded, waiting for the optimal moment to command a higher price for it.

Origin and Story of 奇货可居

During the Warring States period, a wealthy merchant named Lu Buwei traveled to Handan, the capital of Zhao state, for business. By chance, he encountered a young man of remarkable demeanor. Someone informed him, "This young man is Yiren, grandson of King Zhaoxiang of Qin and son of Lord Anguo, currently a hostage in Zhao." At that time, conflicts frequently occurred between Qin and Zhao. Zhao intentionally lowered Yiren's living standards, leaving him in extreme poverty, often lacking even warm clothes in cold weather.

Upon learning this, Lu Buwei immediately realized that investing in Yiren could yield immeasurable profits. He murmured to himself, "This is a rare commodity worthy of hoarding" (此奇货可居也). He meant to treat Yiren as a precious item to be stored and awaited an opportune moment to sell him for a high price.

Lu Buwei returned to his lodging and asked his father, "How much profit can one gain from farming?" His father replied, "Tenfold." Lu Buwei then asked, "What about trading precious jewels?" His father responded, "A hundredfold." Lu Buwei continued, "Then, what about helping a disheartened man become a ruler and control the wealth of the world?" His father shook his head in surprise, saying, "That would be incalculable." Lu Buwei, hearing his father's words, decided to embark on this grand venture.

He first spent a large sum of money to bribe the Zhao officials who monitored Yiren and befriended Yiren. He told Yiren, "I will find a way to have Qin ransom you back and establish you as the crown prince. Then, you will be the future ruler of Qin. What do you think?" Yiren was both surprised and delighted, saying, "That would be a blessing beyond my wildest dreams! If that day comes, I will surely repay you handsomely."

Lu Buwei immediately went to Qin, where he heavily bribed Lord Anguo's close confidants to arrange Yiren's return to Qin. Lord Anguo had more than twenty sons, but his favorite consort, Lady Huayang, had no children. Lu Buwei presented Lady Huayang with numerous exotic treasures and persuaded her to adopt Yiren as her heir.

After King Zhaoxiang's death, Lord Anguo ascended the throne, known historically as King Xiaowen, and appointed Yiren as the crown prince. King Xiaowen reigned for a short time before he died, and Crown Prince Yiren ascended the throne as King Zhuangxiang.

King Zhuangxiang was immensely grateful for Lu Buwei's support in his ascension. He appointed Lu Buwei as Prime Minister, enfeoffed him as Marquis Wenxin, and granted him twelve counties in the Luoyang area of Henan as his territory, along with the taxes from 100,000 households as his salary.

After King Zhuangxiang's death, Crown Prince Zheng (who later became Qin Shi Huang) ascended the throne and referred to Lu Buwei as "Zhongfu" (honorary uncle/regent). Lu Buwei's power became absolute throughout the realm.