📖 Meaning
A beautiful woman's smile is worth a thousand pieces of gold. This idiom describes how precious and rare the smile of a beauty is, emphasizing its extraordinary value.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from "七依" (Seven Dependences) by Cui Liao of the Han Dynasty. The original text reads "回顾百万，一笑千金," meaning a single glance is worth a million and one smile is worth a thousand gold pieces. It was used to praise the captivating charm of beautiful women in classical court poetry. The phrase later became a common literary expression for the rarity and value of a beauty's smile. It also appears in classical novels such as "水浒全传" (Water Margin) by Shi Nai'an of the Ming Dynasty.
💡 Example Usage
她那倾城之貌，当真是一笑千金，令满座宾客皆为之倾倒。
Her peerless beauty was such that a single smile was worth a thousand pieces of gold, leaving all the guests at the banquet completely enchanted.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一笑千金
- Pinyin: yī xiào qiān jīn
- Literal Translation: one, smile, thousand, gold
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4