寸金

cùnjīn

noun

Meanings

1 an inch of gold
2 (fig.) something extremely precious

Characters

inch; small amount

Examples

一寸光阴一寸金。

Yī cùn guāngyīn yī cùn jīn.

An inch of time is an inch of gold.

在北京，寸土寸金。

Zài Běijīng, cùn tǔ cùn jīn.

In Beijing, every inch of land is worth its weight in gold.

Tips

history

寸金 appears in two famous sayings. 寸金难买寸光阴 ('an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time') pairs with 一寸光阴一寸金, attributed to the Tang-era 《增广贤文》 style proverb tradition. 寸土寸金 describes extreme real-estate value.

Stroke Order

寸 cùn

金 jīn