📖 Meaning
The '壶' (pot) here is a loan character for '瓠' (gourd), which is hollow and can float on water. The idiom means that even a seemingly trivial or worthless object can become extremely precious when it is needed at a critical moment. It illustrates the idea that value is not absolute but depends entirely on circumstance and timing.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the ancient Chinese text '《鶡冠子·学问》' (Heguanzi: On Learning), dating to the Warring States period. The original passage says: 'When a boat is lost in the middle of a river, a single gourd is worth a thousand pieces of gold.' The story illustrates that a hollow gourd, normally a cheap and insignificant object, becomes a lifesaving flotation device in a shipwreck. The philosopher Heguanzi used this to argue that the value of things is not fixed — it shifts with time and situation.
💡 Example Usage
平时不起眼的小物件，危急时刻一壶千金。
An inconspicuous little item in ordinary times can be worth a thousand pieces of gold in a moment of crisis.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一壶千金
- Pinyin: yī hú qiān jīn
- Literal Translation: one, gourd, thousand, gold
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4