📖 Meaning
Describes immense, almost unimaginable wealth. The coin strings that tie up stacks of cash have rotted from disuse, and the grain in the granaries has sat so long it has spoiled — all because there is simply too much to use. It paints a picture of overflowing abundance that borders on waste.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the 'Book of Equalization' (平准书) in Sima Qian's 'Records of the Grand Historian' (史记), written during the Han dynasty. The passage describes the extraordinary prosperity achieved under Emperor Wu of Han: the capital's treasury held so many coins, strung in stacks of a thousand, that the binding cords rotted and the total could no longer be counted. Meanwhile, the imperial granaries were so overstuffed with grain — new harvests piled on top of old — that the excess spilled outdoors and spoiled before it could be eaten. The idiom distills this image of staggering surplus into four characters.
💡 Example Usage
他家世代经商，早已贯朽粟陈，富甲一方。
His family has been in business for generations; with wealth beyond measure, they are the richest in the region.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 贯朽粟陈
- Pinyin: guàn xiǔ sù chén
- Literal Translation: coin strings decayed, millet piled old
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4