一字千金

Pronunciation: yī zì qiān jīn Literal meaning: One word worth a thousand gold

Origin & Usage

Lü Buwei, merchant turned chancellor of Qin, assembled scholars to compile the encyclopaedic work that carries his name, then had it hung at the gate of the capital with a thousand pieces of gold (千金) offered to anyone who could add or delete a single character (一字). Nobody collected. The Records of the Grand Historian, reporting this, leaves open whether the text was flawless or the man too powerful to correct. The phrase is now straightforward praise for writing of great value, and the ambiguity in the original is generally forgotten.

Examples

English: "His advice was invaluable, proving that sometimes a single word can change everything."

Chinese: 他的建议一字千金，改变了我们的决策。