洛陽紙貴

Chinese

		Luoyang, an ancient capital	paper	expensive
trad. (洛陽紙貴)		洛陽	紙	貴
simp. (洛阳纸贵)		洛阳	纸	贵
Literally: “to push up the paper price in Luoyang”.

Etymology

From the incident that the Western Jin poet Zuo Si's work Rhapsodies on the Three Capitals was extremely popular that people were making copies of it, causing a shortage in paper and pushing up its price in Luoyang.

於是豪貴之家競相傳寫，洛陽為之紙貴。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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于是豪贵之家竞相传写，洛阳为之纸贵。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: 648 CE, Fang Xuanling (lead editor), Book of Jin

Yúshì háoguì zhī jiā jìngxiāng chuánxiě, Luòyáng wèi zhī zhǐ guì. [Pinyin]

After that the noblemen were eagerly making copies of the work, causing paper to become expensive in Luoyang.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): luòyángzhǐguì

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄧㄤˊ ㄓˇ ㄍㄨㄟˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): lok⁶ joeng⁴ zi² gwai³
• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): log⁸ iang⁵ zua² gui³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: luòyángzhǐguì
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄧㄤˊ ㄓˇ ㄍㄨㄟˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: luòyángjhǐhguèi
    • Wade–Giles: lo⁴-yang²-chih³-kuei⁴
    • Yale: lwò-yáng-jř-gwèi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: luohyangjyyguey
    • Palladius: лоянчжигуй (lojančžiguj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lu̯ɔ⁵¹ jɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: lok⁶ joeng⁴ zi² gwai³
    • Yale: lohk yèuhng jí gwai
    • Cantonese Pinyin: lok⁹ joeng⁴ dzi² gwai³
    • Guangdong Romanization: log⁶ yêng⁴ ji² guei³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɔːk̚² jœːŋ²¹ t͡siː³⁵ kʷɐi̯³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: log⁸ iang⁵ zua² gui³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lo̍k iâng tsuá kùi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lok̚⁴⁻² iaŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ t͡sua⁵²⁻³⁵ kui²¹³/

Idiom

洛陽紙貴

1. (of a literary work, e.g. a new book) to be all the rage for a time; to be immensely popular