Chinese idiom · 成语
金玉满堂
Meaning
A hall full of gold and jade; great wealth and prosperity.
Character by character
Origin and story
philosophicalChapter 9 of the Laozi (老子) imagines gold and jade filling a hall, then immediately warns that such riches cannot be securely kept. It goes on to connect pride in wealth and rank with the trouble a person brings upon oneself. In that setting, the splendid room illustrates the insecurity of accumulation rather than an uncomplicated blessing of material success.
Detached from the warning, 金玉满堂 became a description of great wealth and an auspicious wish for prosperity. The image could also be transferred to a person's abundant gifts: the Shishuo Xinyu (世说新语) records it as praise of Liu Zhenchang. Its positive later uses therefore coexist with a more cautionary original context.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
新年卡片上写着金玉满堂，祝大家生活富足。
The New Year card says 'May your hall be filled with gold and jade,' wishing everyone prosperity.
Common in festive blessings; describes or wishes for abundant wealth.