一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴

Traditional form:

一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰

Pinyin (reading):

yīcùnguāngyīnyīcùnjīn,cùnjīnnánmǎicùnguāngyīn

Definitions:

• lit. an interval of time is worth an ounce of gold, money cannot buy you time (idiom)
• fig. time is precious

Characters:

• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 光 - light; bright, brilliant; only, merely
• 阴 - the female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 金 - gold, metal; money
• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 金 - gold, metal; money
• 难 - hard, difficult, arduous; unable
• 买 - to buy, to purchase; to bribe, to persuade
• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 光 - light; bright, brilliant; only, merely
• 阴 - the female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret

Traditional characters:

• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 光 - light; bright, brilliant; only, merely
• 陰 - the female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret
• 一 - one; a, an; alone
• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 金 - gold, metal; money
• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 金 - gold, metal; money
• 難 - hard, difficult, arduous; unable
• 買 - to buy, to purchase; to bribe, to persuade
• 寸 - inch; small, tiny
• 光 - light; bright, brilliant; only, merely
• 陰 - the female principle; dark, shaded; hidden, implicit, secret