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无价之宝 (wú jià zhī bǎo) — (idiom) priceless treasure; something invaluable

Definition

An idiom for a 'priceless treasure' — emphasizes the object's irreplaceable value, not its rarity. Compared to 难能可贵, which praises a rare and commendable quality or action, 无价之宝 describes something you personally treasure.

idiom
priceless treasuresomething invaluable

Examples

  • 无价之宝。
    Zhè fú huà shì yé ye liú gěi wǒ de wú jià zhī bǎo.
    This painting is a priceless treasure left to me by my grandpa.
  • 无价之宝。
    Jiàn kāng de shēn tǐ cái shì zhēn zhèng de wú jià zhī bǎo.
    A healthy body is truly a priceless treasure.
  • ，无价之宝。
    Zài zhè ge shí dài, shí jiān hé chéng xìn dōu shì wú jià zhī bǎo.
    In this era, time and integrity are both priceless treasures.

Origin

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.

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.