"One Meal Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold" literally means "a single meal is worth a thousand pieces of gold," and it is used as a metaphor for repaying a small favor with an extremely generous reward. The allusion comes from the Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of the Marquis of Huaiyin. When Han Xin was young, poor, and desperate, he fished by the city wall. An old woman who washed silk floss saw that he was hungry and brought him food for dozens of days in a row. Deeply grateful, Han Xin said that he would one day repay her handsomely, but the old woman angrily replied that she had not done it for any reward. Later, after Han Xin became the King of Chu, he found the old woman and gave her a thousand pieces of gold in gratitude for the meal she had once provided. The deeper meaning of this idiom lies in emphasizing the traditional virtue of gratitude and repaying kindness, especially the generous return of even the smallest favor. It is often used to describe situations in which someone gives a great reward to a person who once helped them, and it carries a commendatory and grateful emotional tone. In cultural background, it reflects the Chinese value that "a drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring," and it also reminds people not to forget those who lent a helping hand in times of difficulty. In usage, it is mostly found in formal or literary contexts, describing the generosity of repayment and the weight of the kindness received.
📝 Example
1. When he was down and out, a neighbor once helped him with a bowl of rice. Now that he has achieved success in his career, he repaid that kindness in a manner of "one meal worth a thousand pieces of gold," solving the neighbor's housing problem. (Meaning: to repay a small favor with extremely generous returns.)
2. The company founder always remembered the support of a client in the early days of starting the business. Later, he gave that person a hundredfold cooperation opportunity, which can truly be called "one meal worth a thousand pieces of gold." (Meaning: to receive a small favor from others and repay it generously, reflecting gratitude and righteousness.)