📖 Meaning
The idiom extols an exceptionally deep and heartfelt friendship that is extraordinarily hard to come by — so rare it may occur only once in a thousand years. It conveys that a bond of mutual understanding, shared purpose, and loyalty between friends is a priceless, once-in-a-lifetime treasure.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom is traced to the 'Book of Han' (《汉书》), in the biography of Wang Ji (王吉, courtesy name Ziyang, known as Wang Yang). Wang Ji, an official of the Western Han dynasty, was a close friend of the scholar Gong Yu (贡禹), and the saying of their day ran: 'When Wang Yang holds office, Gong dusts his cap' — meaning that when one friend rose to high rank, the other was ready to follow and tread the same path. This mutual devotion gave rise to the idiom, and the Jin dynasty poet Lu Ji later used it in a poem to praise a friendship so profound that it was deemed to occur but once in a thousand years.
💡 Example Usage
能得千载一弹的知己，实乃人生一大幸事。
To find a kindred spirit as rare as one in a thousand years is truly one of life's greatest blessings.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 千载一弹
- Pinyin: qiān zǎi yī dàn
- Literal Translation: thousand years, one flick
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4