奇貨可居

Chinese

		strange; odd; weird strange; odd; weird; wonderful; odd (Num)	goods; money; commodity	can; may; able to can; may; able to; certain(ly); to suit; (particle used for emphasis)	reside
trad. (奇貨可居)		奇	貨	可	居
simp. (奇货可居)		奇	货	可	居
Literally: “rare goods can be hoarded [to be sold when prices go up]”.

Etymology

Earliest attested in Records of the Grand Historian:

呂不韋賈邯鄲，見而憐之，曰「此奇貨可居」。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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吕不韦贾邯郸，见而怜之，曰「此奇货可居」。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

Lǚ bùwéi gǔ hándān, jiàn ér lián zhī, yuē “cǐ qíhuòkějū”. [Pinyin]

Lü Buwei, who was trading in Handan, saw (Qin prince Yiren) and pitied him and said (to himself): "This is a rare good that can be hoarded."

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): qíhuòkějū

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧˊ ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄐㄩ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): kei⁴ fo³ ho² geoi¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: qíhuòkějū
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄧˊ ㄏㄨㄛˋ ㄎㄜˇ ㄐㄩ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cíhuòkějyu
    • Wade–Giles: chʻi²-huo⁴-kʻo³-chü¹
    • Yale: chí-hwò-kě-jyū
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chyihuohkeejiu
    • Palladius: цихокэцзюй (cixokɛczjuj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰi³⁵ xu̯ɔ⁵¹ kʰɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕy⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: kei⁴ fo³ ho² geoi¹
    • Yale: kèih fo hó gēui
    • Cantonese Pinyin: kei⁴ fo³ ho² goey¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: kéi⁴ fo³ ho² gêu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰei̯²¹ fɔː³³ hɔː³⁵ kɵy̯⁵⁵/

Idiom

奇貨可居

1. to rely on some special skill, advantage, accomplishment, etc. to profiteer