📖 Meaning
To spend a thousand pieces of gold in exchange for a single smile. It refers to sparing no expense to win the favor or affection of a beautiful woman, and by extension to indulging in extravagant gestures for pleasure.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom is documented in two literary sources. The Song dynasty poet Zhang Xiaoxiang (张孝祥) used it in his ci lyric 'Yu Meiren' (《虞美人》), writing that he would gladly pay a thousand gold pieces for one smile. It also appears in the Ming dynasty dramatist Tang Xianzu's (汤显祖) play 'The Purple Hairpin' (《紫钗记》), where a night spent winning a beauty's smile is compared to the blissful meeting at the Blue Bridge. The phrase is essentially synonymous with the older expression '千金买笑' (buying a smile with a thousand gold pieces), reflecting the ancient custom of wealthy patrons lavishing fortunes to please courtesans and beauties.
💡 Example Usage
为博美人千金一笑，他不惜耗费重金。
To win the beauty's thousand-gold smile, he spared no expense.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 千金一笑
- Pinyin: qiān jīn yī xiào
- Literal Translation: a thousand pieces of gold, one smile
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4