奇貨可居
Chinese
strange; odd; weird strange; odd; weird; wonderful; odd (Num) |
goods; money; commodity | can; may; able to can; may; able to; certain(ly); to suit; (particle used for emphasis) |
reside | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (奇貨可居) | 奇 | 貨 | 可 | 居 | |
| simp. (奇货可居) | 奇 | 货 | 可 | 居 | |
| Literally: “rare goods can be hoarded [to be sold when prices go up]”. | |||||
Etymology
Earliest attested in Records of the Grand Historian:
- 呂不韋賈邯鄲，見而憐之，曰「此奇貨可居」。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- Lǚ bùwéi gǔ hándān, jiàn ér lián zhī, yuē “cǐ qíhuòkějū”. [Pinyin]
- Lü Buwei, who was trading in Handan, saw (Qin prince Yiren) and pitied him and said (to himself): "This is a rare good that can be hoarded."
吕不韦贾邯郸，见而怜之，曰“此奇货可居”。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
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