諺語 · a single proverb

一yī寸cùn光guāng陰yīn一yī寸cùn金jīn，寸cùn金jīn難nán買mǎi寸cùn光guāng陰yīn

Simplified: 一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴

yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn

What does 一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰 (yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn) mean?

一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰 (yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "an inch of time is an inch of gold, but an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time." In use it means: Time is more valuable than money. You can earn back wealth, but you cannot earn back a single minute. 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 Ox.

Literally: "an inch of time is an inch of gold, but an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time."

The reading

The equation only runs one way. Money can become time in the sense of buying help, but time that has passed cannot become anything at all. The person who trades time for money without thinking about the exchange rate ends up rich in a currency they can spend and bankrupt in the one they cannot.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Tang dynasty poem by Wang Zhenhuan 王貞白; folk proverb

Sits beside

一寸光陰一寸金

yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn

Time is as precious as gold.

一本萬利

yī běn wàn lì

A tiny investment yields an enormous return.

人為財死，鳥為食亡

rén wéi cái sǐ niǎo wéi shí wáng

The drive for material gain can be as fatal as any predator.

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 Wealth, Work & Diligence, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Ox, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Tiger.

Questions

Is 一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰 (yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Tang dynasty poem by Wang Zhenhuan 王貞白; folk proverb. 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 一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰?

In Mandarin it is yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn cùn 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 一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰 aloud in Mandarin.