📖 Meaning
Literally 'not worth a single fraction of a coin.' It describes something or someone that has absolutely no value or worth whatsoever. The character 直 here is interchangeable with 值, meaning 'to be worth.'
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to 'Wudeng Huiyuan' (《五灯会元》), a Song Dynasty Buddhist text compiled by the monk Puji (释普济). In the original passage, the author observes that while some people praise a certain matter as magnificent as a tiger with horns, others despise it and declare it 'not worth a single coin' (一文不值). The remark illustrates how the same thing can be judged as priceless by one person and utterly worthless by another.
💡 Example Usage
这种假冒伪劣的产品分文不直，根本不值得购买。
This kind of counterfeit and shoddy product isn't worth a single cent and simply isn't worth buying.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 分文不直
- Pinyin: fēn wén bù zhí
- Literal Translation: a fraction of a coin, not, worth
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4