📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a literary work so valuable and popular that it spreads widely and sells in great numbers. It originates from the story of people rushing to copy a celebrated piece, driving up the price of paper in the city of Luoyang.
📜 Origin Story
During the Western Jin Dynasty, the scholar Zuo Si (左思) spent ten years composing his masterwork 'Rhapsody on the Three Capitals' (三都赋). Upon its completion, the piece was so highly regarded that wealthy and noble families competed to hand-copy it. The surge in demand was so great that the price of paper in the capital city of Luoyang soared. The event is recorded in the 'Book of Jin, Biography of Zuo Si' (《晋书·左思传》).
💡 Example Usage
这部小说一经出版便纸贵洛阳，短短一个月内重印了五次。
Upon publication, this novel became such a sensation that it was reprinted five times within a single month.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 纸贵洛阳
- Pinyin: zhǐ guì luò yáng
- Literal Translation: paper, expensive, Luoyang
- Category: Success
- Characters: 4