一字千金
yī zì qiān jīn
every word is worth its weight in gold
Character by character
一yī
one
one
字zì
character
character
千qiān
a thousand
a thousand
金jīn
gold pieces
gold pieces
Example
这首诗写得太好了，真是一字千金。
This poem is so good that every word is worth gold.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
吕不韦 offered a thousand gold pieces to anyone who could improve his book by a single word.
Learn this in Lesson 82 · HSK 6–7: 汉字的演变 (How the characters evolved)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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