一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰

Chinese
 
one; single; a
one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)
 a unit of length bright and dark; light and shade; time
 
one; single; a
one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)
 a unit of length metal; gold; money a unit of length metal; gold; money
 
disaster; distress; to scold
disaster; distress; to scold; difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good
 buy a unit of length bright and dark; light and shade; time
trad. (一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰) 一 寸 光陰 一 寸 金 ， 寸 金 難 買 寸 光陰
simp. (一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴) 一 寸 光阴 一 寸 金 ， 寸 金 难 买 寸 光阴
Literally: “An inch of time is as long as an inch of gold in length, but an inch of time cannot be purchased with an inch of gold.”

Pronunciation

  • Mandarin
    (Pinyin): yī cùn guāngyīn yī cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāngyīn
    (Zhuyin): ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ , ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄋㄢˊ ㄇㄞˇ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ
  • Cantonese (Jyutping): jat1 cyun3 gwong1 jam1 jat1 cyun3 gam1, cyun3 gam1 naan4 maai5 cyun3 gwong1 jam1
  • Wu (Wugniu)
    • (Shanghainese): 7iq-tshen 1kuaon-in 7iq-tshen 1cin 5tshen-cin 6ne-ma 5tshen-kuaon-in
  • Mandarin
    • (Standard Chinese)+
      • Hanyu Pinyin: yī cùn guāngyīn yī cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāngyīn [Phonetic: yí cùn guāngyīn yí cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāngyīn]
      • Zhuyin: ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ , ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄋㄢˊ ㄇㄞˇ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ
      • Tongyong Pinyin: yi cùn guangyin yi cùn jin, cùn jin nán mǎi cùn guangyin
      • Wade–Giles: i1 tsʻun4 kuang1-yin1 i1 tsʻun4 chin1, tsʻun4 chin1 nan2 mai3 tsʻun4 kuang1-yin1
      • Yale: yī tswùn gwāng-yīn yī tswùn jīn-, tswùn jīn nán mǎi tswùn gwāng-yīn
      • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: i tsuenn guangin i tsuenn jin, tsuenn jin nan mae tsuenn guangin
      • Palladius: и цунь гуанъинь и цунь цзинь, цунь цзинь нань май цунь гуанъинь (i cunʹ guanʺinʹ i cunʹ czinʹ, cunʹ czinʹ nanʹ maj cunʹ guanʺinʹ)
      • Sinological IPA (key): /i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ nän³⁵ maɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵/
  • Cantonese
    • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
      • Jyutping: jat1 cyun3 gwong1 jam1 jat1 cyun3 gam1, cyun3 gam1 naan4 maai5 cyun3 gwong1 jam1
      • Yale: yāt chyun gwōng yām yāt chyun gām, chyun gām nàahn máaih chyun gwōng yām
      • Cantonese Pinyin: jat7 tsyn3 gwong1 jam1 jat7 tsyn3 gam1, tsyn3 gam1 naan4 maai5 tsyn3 gwong1 jam1
      • Guangdong Romanization: yed1 qun3 guong1 yem1 yed1 qun3 gem1, qun3 gem1 nan4 mai5 qun3 guong1 yem1
      • Sinological IPA (key): /jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ kɐm⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ kɐm⁵⁵ naːn²¹ maːi̯¹³ t͡sʰyːn³³ kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵/
  • Wu
    • (Shanghainese)
      • Wugniu: 7iq-tshen 1kuaon-in 7iq-tshen 1cin 5tshen-cin 6ne-ma 5tshen-kuaon-in
      • Wiktionary Romanisation: 4iq-tshen 1kuaan-in 4iq-tshen 1jin 2tshen-jin 3ne-ma 2tshen-kuaan-in
      • Sinological IPA (key): /iɪʔ³³ t͡sʰən³³  kuɑ̃⁵⁵ in³³  iɪʔ³³ t͡sʰən³³  t͡ɕin⁵³ t͡sʰən³³ t͡ɕin³³  ne²² ma³³  t͡sʰən³³ kuɑ̃⁵⁵ in²¹/

Proverb

一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰

  1. time is priceless; money cannot buy you time
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