📖 Meaning
To cast away gold and discard jade, meaning to show no attachment to material wealth or rare treasures. It describes a noble indifference toward worldly riches, modeled after legendary sage kings. The idiom conveys a principled disregard for luxury and possessions.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Jin dynasty scholar Ge Hong's work Baopuzi: On Enduring Poverty (《抱朴子·安贫》), where he wrote that the truly wise do not prize hard-to-obtain wealth, citing the legendary sage kings Yao (Tang) and Shun (Yu) as paragons who discarded gold and rejected jade. Yao and Shun were idealized rulers in Chinese tradition celebrated for their virtue over opulence. The idiom later appeared in the Tang dynasty official Wei Zheng's memorial to Emperor Taizong, praising the emperor's early reign for embodying this sage-like disregard for riches.
💡 Example Usage
他一生清廉自守，捐金抵璧，从不贪图富贵。
Throughout his life he remained incorruptible, casting aside gold and jade, never coveting wealth or status.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 捐金抵璧
- Pinyin: juān jīn dǐ bì
- Literal Translation: discard gold, reject jade
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4