📖 Meaning
A priceless treasure; something so precious that no amount of money can measure its worth. It is used to describe objects, relationships, or qualities of extraordinary and irreplaceable value.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase is attested as early as the Jin dynasty in Ge Hong's (葛洪) Baopuzi (《抱朴子·外篇》), where he writes that true wisdom and virtue are 'priceless treasures' beyond any material valuation. A well-known associated story tells of a man during the Tang dynasty who presented a luminous pearl to the court, and when officials attempted to appraise it, none could assign a value — leading the emperor to declare it a wú jià zhī bǎo. Over centuries the idiom broadened from describing rare artifacts to extolling anything of incalculable worth.
💡 Example Usage
这幅传世名画是无价之宝，任何金钱都无法衡量它的价值。
This handed-down masterpiece is a priceless treasure; no amount of money can measure its worth.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 无价之宝
- Pinyin: wú jià zhī bǎo
- Literal Translation: no, price, possessive, treasure
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4