“千金”是一千两黄金吗？

在古装剧中，皇帝常常赏赐“千金”，甚至“万金”。“千金”是一千两黄金吗？一诺千金、一字千金、一饭千金等，都是什么意思？

In costume dramas, there are scenarios of the emperor rewarding “a thousand in gold” or even “ten thousand gold.” Is “a thousand gold” one thousand taels of gold? What do “A promise/One character/One meal is worth a thousand gold” mean respectively?

一诺千金

A promise is worth a thousand gold

 典故 秦末汉初，有一个人叫季布，重承诺，守信用，只要是他答应的事情，无论有多大困难，都会设法办到。人们都说，得到千金，不如得到季布一个承诺。

 Allusion  Between the Qin Dynasty (221BC-207BC) and the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), there lived a man named Ji Bu, who was known for keeping his word. He always managed to honor all promises he made, no matter how difficult they were. As time went on, the people began to say that they would choose one promise made by Ji Bu over a thousand in gold.

出处：西汉·司马迁 《史记·季布栾布列传》

释义：形容说话算数，极有信用。

例句：他一诺千金，既然答应了，就一定会做到。

Source:“The Biography of Ji Bu and Luan Bu” in Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian in the Western Han Dynasty(202BC-8AD)

Meaning: true to one’s word and invariably credible

Example:His promise is worth a thousand gold; he will certainly do what he said he would do.

一字千金

One character is worth a thousand gold

 典故 战国时期，秦国丞相吕不韦命门客编著《吕氏春秋》，完成后将书稿挂在城门上悬赏，如果有人能在书中增加或减少一个字，赏赐千金。

 Allusion  During the Warring States Period (475BC-221BC), Lü Buwei, the Prime Minister of the Qin State, ordered his subordinates to compile Lü’s Commentaries of History. After the compilation was completed, he ordered to have the manuscript hung at the city gate and offered a thousand in gold for each character added to or deleted from it. 

出处：西汉·司马迁《史记·吕不韦列传》

释义：形容诗文或书法作品价值极高或言辞精妙。

例句：这篇文章写得极好，文采斐然，真是一字千金。

Source: “The Biography of Lü Buwei” in Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian in the Western Han Dynasty (202BC-8AD)

Meaning:referring to poems or calligraphy works of extremely high value or ingenious diction

Example:This article is very well written each one of its character’s is worth a thousand gold. It is truly a masterpiece.

一饭千金

One meal is worth a thousand gold

 典故 西汉名将韩信年轻时很穷。一位洗衣服的老婆婆看他可怜，常常把自己的饭分给他。后来，韩信立下军功，封为楚王，给老婆婆送去千金表达感谢。

 Allusion  Han Xin, a famous general of the Western Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), was very poor when he was young. An old laundry lady took pity on him and often shared her meal with him. Later, when Han Xin was made the king of Chu for military merits, he sent her one thousand in gold as a token of gratitude.

出处：西汉·司马迁《史记·淮阴侯列传》

释义：形容用重金报答对自己有恩的人。

例句：母亲常常教导我们一饭千金，不能忘记别人对自己的恩情。

Source:“The Biography of Han Xin” in Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian in the Western Han Dynasty (202BC-8AD)

Meaning:referring to handsome rewards in return for a favor

Example:Mother often told us that one good turn deserves another and that we should always be grateful to others for their kindness.

一顾千金

One look is worth a thousand gold

 典故 春秋时，有人把一匹千里马牵到集市上卖，过了三天都无人问津。相马名家伯乐到集市上绕着马儿转了几圈，临走时又回头看了马一眼，马的身价立刻涨了十倍。

 Allusion  In the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476AD), a fine steed was taken to the market for sale, but after three days, no one seemed to notice it. One day, Bo Le the horse connoisseur came to the market and circled around the horse a few times. Before he left, he looked back at it again. Its worth immediately increased by tenfold.

出处：西汉·刘向《战国策·燕策二》

释义：形容得到推荐而使人或物身价倍增

例句：一顾千金的事情不是谁都能遇上的，面对机会我们还是要学会主动争取。

相关表达：世有伯乐，然后有千里马。

Source:“Stratagems of Yan” in Stratagems of the Warring States, by Liu Xiang in the Western Han Dynasty (202BC-8AD)

Meaning:referring to a recommendation that multiplies the value of a person or thing

Example:A fortunate stroke of serendipity does not befall us all, so we must learn to actively seize opportunities as they present themselves.

Related expression:A fine steed can be identified by the horse connoisseur only.

古代黄金的开采量有限，十分珍贵。由于币值太大，一般不在社会上流通，常为王公贵胄所有，用于赏赐、馈赠等。据《宋史·食货志》记载，北宋皇佑、元丰年间，全国黄金年产量均为一万余两。因此可见，“千金”并不是一千两黄金，仅为虚指，用来表示人或事物的价值极高。

Gold was very precious in ancient times because of the limited amount mined. Gold coins were too valuable for daily circulation; they were often the hoard of princes and nobles, and used for large transactions such as rewards and gifts. According to “Records on Food and Money” in The History of Song, the average national gold production during the Huangyou and Yuanfeng reigns in the Northern Song Dynasty (960AD-1127AD) was a little more than 10,000 taels annually. Therefore, it can be seen that “a thousand gold” was not a thousand taels of gold. Instead, it is a rhetoric expression intended to emphasize the value of people or things.

内容编辑：吴晓静 刘希 

美术编辑：陈芳宇（实习）

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