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一錢不值

简一钱不值 · 繁一錢不值

Mandarin · pinyin yī qián bù zhí

(idiom) not worth a penny; utterly worthless

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Characters in this entry

一: yī · one; a, an; alone
錢: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
值: zhí · price
钱: qián · money, currency, coins

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–2–4–2 · yi1 qian2 bu4 zhi2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

一錢不值 · find source passages ↗ · 一钱不值 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jat1 cin4 bat1 zik6

Cantonese word readings for 一錢不值. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) not worth a penny; utterly worthless; mere trash

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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