一字千金 — “One word, a thousand pieces of gold”
一字千金 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “referring to a piece of writing or an article that is so exceptionally well-written, precise, and invaluable that not a single word can be added or removed, implying immense literary value or rhetorical brilliance”. Literally, “One word, a thousand pieces of gold”.
一字千金 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 一yī
- 字zì
- 千qiān
- 金jīn
一字千金 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 一字千金
Origin and Story of 一字千金
During the late Warring States period, there was a prominent merchant in the State of Qin named Lü Buwei. While doing business in the State of Zhao, he had financially supported King Zhuangxiang of Qin (then known as Zichu) and later offered his concubine, Zhao Ji, to Zichu as a wife. After Zichu ascended to the throne, Lü Buwei was enfeoffed as Marquis Wenxin and served as Prime Minister. King Zhuangxiang reigned for only three years before dying of illness. His thirteen-year-old son, Zheng (born to Zhao Ji), succeeded him, becoming the historically renowned Qin Shi Huang. Lü Buwei was honored as 'Zhongfu' (regent-father), and all administrative power was effectively in the hands of Lü Buwei and Zhao Ji.
At that time, it was fashionable to patronize scholars. The famous Four Lords of the Warring States all maintained thousands of retainers. Lü Buwei also had three thousand retainers who served as his think tank, devising various strategies to consolidate his power. These retainers came from all walks of life, each with their own insights and experiences, which they committed to writing. Compiled together, this became a monumental work of over 200,000 characters, titled 'Lüshi Chunqiu' (The Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lü).
Lü Buwei intended this book to be a classic for Qin's unification of the world. Lü Buwei then displayed the book publicly in Xianyang, the capital of Qin, offering a reward: anyone who could add or subtract a single character from the book would be rewarded with a thousand pieces of gold (equivalent to one catty of gold). This account is found in 'The Records of the Grand Historian: Biography of Lü Buwei'.
Later generations, based on this story, derived the idiom 'Yī Zì Qiān Jīn' (a single word, a thousand pieces of gold) to describe an article of immense value, or to praise a piece of writing for its exceptional rhetorical brilliance, where every word is a pearl and truly rare.
Idioms Related to 一字千金
Synonyms of 一字千金
Antonyms of 一字千金
More idioms starting with 一
- yī一dīng丁bù不shí识completely illiterate
- yī一dīng丁diǎn点er儿a tiny bit
- yī一bù不zuò作，，èr二bù不xiū休Finish what you start
- yī一bù不zuò做，，èr二bù不xiū休in for a penny, in for a pound
- yī一bù不yā压zhòng众，，bǎi百bù不suí随yī一The minority cannot prevail against the majority
- yī一bù不niǔ扭zhòng众One person cannot defy the crowd
- yī一shì世zhī之xióng雄A hero of a generation
- yī一shì世lóng龙mén门A generation's revered influential figure
- yī一qiū丘yī一hè壑live contentedly in nature
- yī一qiū丘zhī之hé貉birds of a feather
- yī一sī丝yī一háo毫the slightest amount
- yī一sī丝bù不luàn乱perfectly orderly and neat
Questions about 一字千金
- What does 一字千金 mean?
- 一字千金 (yī zì qiān jīn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “referring to a piece of writing or an article that is so exceptionally well-written, precise, and invaluable that not a single word can be added or removed, implying immense literary value or rhetorical brilliance”.
- How do you pronounce 一字千金?
- 一字千金 is pronounced yī zì qiān jīn in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 一字千金 literally mean?
- Literally, 一字千金 means “one word, a thousand pieces of gold”. It is used to mean “referring to a piece of writing or an article that is so exceptionally well-written, precise, and invaluable that not a single word can be added or removed, implying immense literary value or rhetorical brilliance”.
- Where does 一字千金 come from?
- 一字千金 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 一字千金?
- 增损一字，赏予千金。称赞文辞精妙，不可更改。