Chinese idiom · 成语

不名一钱

bù míng yī qián

Meaning

To possess not a single coin; to be penniless.

Character by character

不not

名possess; have to one's name

一one; even a single

钱coin; money

Origin and story

Historical account

In the Shiji (史記), volume 125, the court favorite Deng Tong ends his life in poverty after losing imperial protection. The passage cited by the Ministry of Education dictionary says that officials confiscated even gifts made to him by the senior princess. She finally arranged borrowed clothing and food for him, but he could not hold a single coin in his own name and died dependent on another household.

名 here means to possess, not to be worth. The idiom therefore describes having no money, not being a worthless person. It compresses the longer wording about Deng Tong into a forceful description of destitution.

Sources and further reading

Shiji, vol. 125, Deng Tong — Ministry of Education

In everyday life

生意失败后，他几乎不名一钱，只好重新找工作。

Shēngyi shībài hòu, tā jīhū bù míng yì qián, zhǐhǎo chóngxīn zhǎo gōngzuò.

After his business failed, he was almost penniless and had to look for work again.

Describes poverty, never a person's lack of worth.