# 一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰
## Chinese

| | | one; single; aone; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.) | a unit of length | bright and dark; light and shade; time | one; single; aone; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.) | a unit of length | metal; gold; money | | a unit of length | metal; gold; money | disaster; distress; to scolddisaster; distress; to scold; difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good | buy | a unit of length | bright and dark; light and shade; time |
| trad. (一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰) | trad. (一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰) | 一 | 寸 | 光陰 | 一 | 寸 | 金 | ， | 寸 | 金 | 難 | 買 | 寸 | 光陰 |
| simp. (一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴) | simp. (一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴) | 一 | 寸 | 光阴 | 一 | 寸 | 金 | ， | 寸 | 金 | 难 | 买 | 寸 | 光阴 |
| Literally: “An inch of time is as long as an inch of gold in length, but an inch of time cannot be purchased with an inch of gold.” |||||||||||||||

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): yī cùn guāngyīn yī cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāngyīn
    (Zhuyin): ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ , ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄋㄢˊ ㄇㄞˇ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): jat$^1$ cyun$^3$ gwong$^1$ jam$^1$ jat$^1$ cyun$^3$ gam$^1$, cyun$^3$ gam$^1$ naan$^4$ maai$^5$ cyun$^3$ gwong$^1$ jam$^1$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^7$iq-tshen $^1$kuaon-in $^7$iq-tshen $^1$cin $^5$tshen-cin $^6$ne-ma $^5$tshen-kuaon-in
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: yī cùn guāngyīn yī cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāngyīn [Phonetic: yí cùn guāngyīn yí cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāngyīn]
*** Zhuyin: ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ ㄧ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ , ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄐㄧㄣ ㄋㄢˊ ㄇㄞˇ ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄍㄨㄤ ㄧㄣ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: yi cùn guangyin yi cùn jin, cùn jin nán mǎi cùn guangyin
*** Wade–Giles: i$^1$ tsʻun$^4$ kuang$^1$-yin$^1$ i$^1$ tsʻun$^4$ chin$^1$, tsʻun$^4$ chin$^1$ nan$^2$ mai$^3$ tsʻun$^4$ kuang$^1$-yin$^1$
*** Yale: yī tswùn gwāng-yīn yī tswùn jīn-, tswùn jīn nán mǎi tswùn gwāng-yīn
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: i tsuenn guangin i tsuenn jin, tsuenn jin nan mae tsuenn guangin
*** Palladius: и цунь гуанъинь и цунь цзинь, цунь цзинь нань май цунь гуанъинь (i cunʹ guanʺinʹ i cunʹ czinʹ, cunʹ czinʹ nanʹ maj cunʹ guanʺinʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵ i⁵⁵⁻³⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ nän³⁵ maɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹ ku̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ in⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: jat$^1$ cyun$^3$ gwong$^1$ jam$^1$ jat$^1$ cyun$^3$ gam$^1$, cyun$^3$ gam$^1$ naan$^4$ maai$^5$ cyun$^3$ gwong$^1$ jam$^1$
*** Yale: yāt chyun gwōng yām yāt chyun gām, chyun gām nàahn máaih chyun gwōng yām
*** Cantonese Pinyin: jat$^7$ tsyn$^3$ gwong$^1$ jam$^1$ jat$^7$ tsyn$^3$ gam$^1$, tsyn$^3$ gam$^1$ naan$^4$ maai$^5$ tsyn$^3$ gwong$^1$ jam$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: yed$^1$ qun$^3$ guong$^1$ yem$^1$ yed$^1$ qun$^3$ gem$^1$, qun$^3$ gem$^1$ nan$^4$ mai$^5$ qun$^3$ guong$^1$ yem$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵ jɐt̚⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ kɐm⁵⁵ t͡sʰyːn³³ kɐm⁵⁵ naːn²¹ maːi̯¹³ t͡sʰyːn³³ kʷɔːŋ⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^7$iq-tshen $^1$kuaon-in $^7$iq-tshen $^1$cin $^5$tshen-cin $^6$ne-ma $^5$tshen-kuaon-in
*** MiniDict: ih$^入$ tshen kuaon$^平$ in ih$^入$ tshen cin$^平$ tshen$^去$ cin ne$^去$ ma tshen$^去$ kuaon in
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^4$iq-tshen $^1$kuaan-in $^4$iq-tshen $^1$jin $^2$tshen-jin $^3$ne-ma $^2$tshen-kuaan-in
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /iɪʔ³³ t͡sʰən³³ kuɑ̃⁵⁵ in³³ iɪʔ³³ t͡sʰən³³ t͡ɕin⁵³ t͡sʰən³³ t͡ɕin³³ ne²² ma³³ t͡sʰən³³ kuɑ̃⁵⁵ in²¹/

### Proverb

一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰
* time is priceless; money cannot buy you time