无价宝 (wú jià bǎo) — priceless treasure, invaluable asset

Definition

A literary/figurative term for something beyond price — used for health, experience, heirlooms, not for a literal jewel. More rhetorical and written than everyday 'treasure' (宝贝).

noun
priceless treasureinvaluable asset

Examples

  • 无价宝。
    Zhè jiàn gǔ dǒng shì chuán jiā de wú jià bǎo.
    This antique is a family heirloom of priceless value.
  • 无价宝。
    Jiàn kāng shì rén shēng zuì zhēn guì de wú jià bǎo.
    Health is the most precious treasure in life.
  • 无价宝。
    Tā de jīng yàn duì gōng sī lái shuō shì wú jià bǎo.
    His experience is an invaluable asset to the company.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

无价without price
无wúwithout价jiàprice
动宾Verb + object
宝bǎotreasure

无价 means without price, and 宝 is treasure, so it means a priceless treasure.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
介
介jiè价jiè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

价 pairs 人 (person) with 介, which gives the sound.

Open 价 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 寶; 宝 is its simplified writing.

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 琡琡chùjade
  • 貝貝bèicowry

The traditional form 寶 shows 宀 (house), 琡 (jade), and 貝 (cowry), drawn together as treasures in a house.

Open 宝 →

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