此地無銀三百兩

Chinese

this place; here not have silver; money three hundred
 
both; two; ounce; some; a few; tael
trad. (此地無銀三百兩) 此地
simp. (此地无银三百两) 此地
Literally: “No 300 taels of silver buried here.”

Etymology

The first half of a longer sentence: 此地隔壁不曾. It is said to come from a story about a man named Zhang San (). According to the story, he buried 300 taels of silver in the ground with a sign denying their presence so that no one would steal them. But his neighbor Wang Er () saw through the lie and dug up the money, leaving behind a sign saying that he hadn't stolen it.

Pronunciation


Idiom

此地無銀三百兩

  1. a clumsy denial resulting in self-exposure; a very poor lie which reveals the truth; protest one's innocence too much; the lady doth protest too much
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