一文不值 yī wén bù zhí not worth a penny

Explanation

比喻某样东西毫无价值，不值得一提。

Means something is completely worthless and not worth mentioning.

Origin Story

从前，有一个穷苦的书生，为了求取功名，寒窗苦读了十多年，最终参加了科举考试，却名落孙山，他怀着满腔的希望，却只换来了失望，他心灰意冷，觉得自己辛苦了那么多年，到头来一文不值，于是他便放弃了学业，终日浑浑噩噩，一事无成。 后来，他遇到了一位老先生，老先生问他：“你为何如此消沉？”书生就把自己的经历说了一遍。老先生听了之后，语重心长地对他说：“读书不是为了功名利禄，而是为了增长知识，陶冶情操，你应该把眼光放长远一些，不要因为一时的挫折就放弃了梦想。” 书生听了老先生的话，如梦初醒，他重新振作起来，继续努力学习，最终成为了一名德高望重的学者。 这个故事告诉我们，追求梦想的道路上，难免会遇到挫折，但我们不能因此而灰心丧气，我们要像书生一样，不断努力，最终实现自己的目标。

cóng qián, yǒu yī gè qióng kǔ de shū shēng, wèi le qiú qǔ gōng míng, hán chuāng kǔ dú le shí duō nián, zuì zhōng cān jiā le kē jǔ kǎo shì, què míng luò sūn shān, tā huái zhe mǎn qiāng de xī wàng, què zhǐ huàn lái le shī wàng, tā xīn huī yì lěng, jué de zì jǐ xīn kǔ le nà me duō nián, dào tóu lái yī wén bù zhí, yú shì tā biàn fàng qì le xué yè, zhōng rì hún hún è è, yī shì wú chéng.

Once upon a time, there was a poor scholar who studied hard for many years to gain fame and fortune. But when he took the civil service exam, he failed. He was full of hope, but he only got disappointment. He was disheartened and felt as if all his hard work over the years was worthless. So he gave up his studies and lived a meaningless life, accomplishing nothing. Later, he met an old man who asked him, “Why are you so depressed?” The scholar told him about his experiences. The old man listened attentively and said with a serious tone, “Education is not for fame and fortune, but to increase knowledge and cultivate character. You should broaden your perspective and not give up your dreams because of a temporary setback.” The scholar woke up as if from a dream. He pulled himself together and continued to learn. Finally, he became a highly respected scholar. This story teaches us that on the road to pursuing our dreams, we will inevitably encounter setbacks, but we should not be discouraged because of this. Like the scholar, we should continue to work hard and eventually achieve our goals.

Usage

这个成语通常用来形容某些东西毫无价值，比如：一篇文章写得不好，可以用“一文不值”来形容；一个人的作品没有艺术价值，也可以用“一文不值”来形容。

zhè gè chéng yǔ tóng cháng yòng lái xíng róng mǒu xiē dōng xi wú háo jià zhí, bǐ rú: yī piān wén zhāng xiě de bù hǎo, kě yǐ yòng “yī wén bù zhí” lái xíng róng; yī gè rén de zuò pǐn méi yǒu yì shù jià zhí, yě kě yǐ yòng “yī wén bù zhí” lái xíng róng.

This idiom is usually used to describe something that is completely worthless, for example: If an article is poorly written, it can be described as “not worth a penny”; if a person’s work has no artistic value, it can also be described as “not worth a penny.

Examples

• 他的这幅画一文不值，简直是浪费材料。

  tā de zhè fú huà yī wén bù zhí, jiǎn zhí shì làng fèi cái liào.

  His painting is not worth a penny, it's a waste of materials.

• 你写的文章一文不值，还需要多加练习。

  nǐ xiě de wén zhāng yī wén bù zhí, hái xū yào duō jiā liàn xí.

  Your article is not worth a penny, you need to practice more.

Related Idioms

• 一钱不值

• 不值一文

Opposite Idioms

• 价值连城

• 无价之宝

• 珍贵