分文

fēnwén

noun #23,710

Meanings

他身上分文不剩。

Tā shēnshang fēnwén bù shèng.

He has not a penny left on him.

我分文不取，完全是义务帮忙。

Wǒ fēnwénbùqǔ, wánquán shì yìwù bāngmáng.

I charge not a single cent — it is entirely voluntary help.

usage

分文 almost always appears in negative constructions: 分文不剩 (not a penny left), 分文不取 (charge nothing), 分文不差 (not a cent off).

memory

分 and 文 were both tiny historical currency units — picture the smallest coins imaginable stacked together.

分 fēn

文 wén