一言九鼎 — “A single word carries immense weight”
一言九鼎 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a single word carries immense weight”. Equivalent to nine ancient tripods. It describes someone whose words are extremely influential, authoritative, or constitute a solemn and binding promise with significant impact. Literally, “One word, nine tripods”.
一言九鼎 Pronunciation and Pinyin
一言九鼎 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 一言九鼎
Origin and Story of 一言九鼎
During the Warring States period, the Qin army completely surrounded Handan, the capital of the Zhao state. The situation was extremely critical. King Xiaocheng of Zhao sent Lord Pingyuan to the Chu state to seek assistance.
Lord Pingyuan planned to take 20 retainers to complete this mission; he had already selected nineteen but was still short one. At this moment, Mao Sui volunteered to go. Lord Pingyuan was half-skeptical but reluctantly took him along to Chu.
Upon arriving in Chu, Lord Pingyuan immediately discussed the matter of "aiding Zhao" with the King of Chu, but after talking for a long long time, there was no result. Then, Mao Sui said to the King of Chu: "We came today to ask you to send reinforcements, yet you remain silent. But don't forget, although Chu has many soldiers and a vast territory, it has suffered repeated defeats and even lost its capital. In my opinion, Chu needs to unite against Qin even more than Zhao does!"
Mao Sui's words convinced the King of Chu, who immediately agreed to send troops to assist Zhao. After returning to Zhao, Lord Pingyuan remarked with emotion: "Mao Sui's arrival in Chu made Chu's position weigh more than the Nine Tripods and Da Lü." (Nine Tripods and Da Lü: Da Lü was the name of a bell, an ancient state treasure like the tripods.) The idiom "一言九鼎" (yī yán jiǔ dǐng) originates from this story, describing how a single word can play a significant role.
Idioms Related to 一言九鼎
Synonyms of 一言九鼎
Antonyms of 一言九鼎
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
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Open the tool →Questions about 一言九鼎
What does 一言九鼎 mean?
一言九鼎 (yī yán jiǔ dǐng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a single word carries immense weight”.
How do you pronounce 一言九鼎?
一言九鼎 is pronounced yī yán jiǔ dǐng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 一言九鼎 literally mean?
Literally, 一言九鼎 means “one word, nine tripods”. It is used to mean “a single word carries immense weight”.
Where does 一言九鼎 come from?
一言九鼎 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 一言九鼎?
九鼎：古代国家的宝器，相传为夏禹所铸。一句话抵得上九鼎重。比喻说话力量大，能起很大作用。