諺語 · a single proverb
千金難買寸光陰
Simplified: 千金难买寸光阴
What does 千金難買寸光陰 (qiān jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn) mean?
千金難買寸光陰 (qiān jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a thousand gold pieces cannot buy an inch of time." In use it means: Time is more valuable than any wealth; once a moment passes, no amount of money can recover it. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.
Literally: "a thousand gold pieces cannot buy an inch of time."
The reading
You can earn the money back. You can rebuild the house. You can replace the coat. But the afternoon you spent staring at nothing, or the year you spent waiting for permission, those are the only things in your life that have no refund counter. Spend them first.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk proverb; found in Zengguang Xianwen 增廣賢文
Sits beside
冬至陽生春又來
dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái
At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.
夜長夢多
yè cháng mèng duō
Delay leads to complications.
太公釣魚，願者上鉤
tài gōng diào yú yuàn zhě shàng gōu
The best way to attract people is not through trickery but through genuine worth.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 千金難買寸光陰 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 千金難買寸光陰 (qiān jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common folk proverb; found in Zengguang Xianwen 增廣賢文. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 千金難買寸光陰?
In Mandarin it is qiān jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 千金難買寸光陰 aloud in Mandarin.