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.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
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.