諺語 · a single proverb
一本萬利
Simplified: 一本万利
What does 一本萬利 (yī běn wàn lì) mean?
一本萬利 (yī běn wàn lì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "one capital, ten-thousand profit." In use it means: A tiny investment yields an enormous return. 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 Rat.
Literally: "one capital, ten-thousand profit."
The reading
You keep waiting for the grand stake, the sum that changes everything at once. But the fortunes that hold were rarely the largest ones laid down. They were the smallest ones placed exactly right, then left alone to swell in the dark.
The story
The four-character form appears in the late-Qing novel 市聲 by Ji Wen and belongs to the everyday speech of merchants: one unit of capital returning ten thousand in profit. It names the dream of the small stake placed exactly right rather than the large one laid down at random.
Stop waiting for the one grand stake that changes everything at once. Place the small resource, the hour, the introduction, the modest sum, precisely where it can compound, then leave it alone in the dark to swell.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Qing dynasty novel 市聲 (Shì Shēng) by 姬文, ch. 26; common merchant idiom
Sits beside
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 Rat, Year of the Ox, and Year of the Tiger.
Questions
Is 一本萬利 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 一本萬利 (yī běn wàn lì) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Qing dynasty novel 市聲 (Shì Shēng) by 姬文, ch. 26; common merchant idiom. 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 一本萬利?
In Mandarin it is yī běn wàn lì. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 一本萬利 aloud in Mandarin.