📖 Meaning
To not have a single coin to one's name. Describes a state of extreme poverty, where a person is completely penniless and destitute.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Yao Xueyin's historical novel "Li Zicheng" (《李自成》), set during the late Ming Dynasty. In Volume 2, Chapter 16, a character describes his own plight, saying he has wandered half his life as a scholar and swordsman, living off the generosity of others, with 'not a single coin in his purse' (囊中不名一文). The character 名 here means 'to possess' or 'to own,' an archaic usage that has survived in this fixed expression.
💡 Example Usage
他破产后不名一文，只能露宿街头。
After going bankrupt, he was completely penniless and had no choice but to sleep on the streets.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不名一文
- Pinyin: bù míng yī wén
- Literal Translation: not possess one penny
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4