一字千金

yízì-qiānjīn
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 each word worth a thousand in gold
  2. 2 writing so polished that not a word can be changed

Examples

HSK 6
Tā de shī yízì-qiānjīn, méiyou yí ge duōyú de zì.
His poems are worth a thousand in gold per word: there is not one wasted character.
HSK 6
Zhè wèi lǎo shūfǎjiā de tízì yízì-qiānjīn, hěnduō rén dōu xiǎng qiú yì fú.
The old calligrapher's inscriptions are treasured, and many people hope to get one.

Tips

history
When 吕氏春秋 was finished, 吕不韦 displayed it at the market gate of 咸阳 and offered a thousand pieces of gold to anyone who could add or remove a single character. No one claimed the prize, and the phrase became praise for faultless writing.

Stroke Order

一 yī
字 zì
千 qiān
金 jīn