Chinese characters and pinyin
Simplified: 一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴
Traditional: 一寸光陰一寸金，寸金難買寸光陰
Pinyin: yī cùn guāng yīn yī cùn jīn, cùn jīn nán mǎi cùn guāng yīn
Literal translation
An inch of time is an inch of gold, yet an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time.
Natural English meaning
Time is precious and, unlike money, cannot be recovered once spent.
Closest English equivalent
Time is money.
The Chinese proverb goes further: time is more valuable than gold because gold cannot buy it back.
When to use it
Use it to encourage valuing time and avoiding needless delay.
When not to use it
Not every quiet or unproductive moment is wasted; rest also has value.
Example sentence
年轻时要珍惜学习机会，一寸光阴一寸金。
Value the chance to learn while you have it; lost time cannot be bought back.
Origin and cultural context
The first clause appears in earlier poetry and drama; the full couplet is attested in late imperial popular literature and stresses that lost time cannot be bought back.
Classification: proverb. This label distinguishes a complete proverb or popular saying from a compact idiom or a quotation preserved from a classical text.
