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敝帚千金

Mandarin · pinyin bì zhǒu qiān jīn

lit. my worn-out broom, a thousand in gold (idiom); fig. sentimental value
I wouldn't be parted with it for anything.

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Characters in this entry

敝: bì · break, destroy; broken, tattered
帚: zhǒu · broom, broomstick
千: qiān · thousand; many, numerous; very; (Cant.) a cheater, swindler
金: jīn · gold; metals in general; money; Kangxi radical 167

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Mandarin tones

4–3–1–1 · bi4 zhou3 qian1 jin1

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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

(figurative) to cherish something of little value simply because it is one's own

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

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