During the late Warring States period, a man named Lü Buwei from Puyang in the Wei State (modern-day Henan) traveled far and wide as a merchant. With his sharp mind and knack for making money, he quickly amassed great wealth, becoming one of the richest traders of his time.
One year, the merchant Lu Buwei traveled to the Zhao capital Handan on business and met Zi Chu, a Qin prince held hostage there. Far from home and deeply unhappy, Zi Chu was languishing in exile. With Lu Buwei's help, he managed to escape back to Qin alone.
Later, Zichu was appointed crown prince and eventually succeeded King Xiaowen of Qin to the throne, historically known as King Zhuangxiang. To repay Lu Buwei for saving his life, he appointed Lu Buwei as prime minister and granted him the title of Marquis Wenxin.
During the Warring States period, the ruling nobles of the eastern states, eager to win over talent and secure their power, widely recruited advisors. Among them, Lord Xinling of Wei, Lord Mengchang of Qi, and Lord Pingyuan of Zhao were the most famous, each hosting over three thousand retainers.
During the Warring States period, the state of Qin was the most powerful, far outstripping its rivals. Though not of royal blood, Lü Buwei served as prime minister and enjoyed immense prestige. Unwilling to be outdone, he offered even more generous treatment to attract guests, quickly amassing a retinue of three thousand scholars.
Among Lu Buwei's retainers were many disciples of famous scholars from various states, all possessing profound knowledge and brilliant talent. Lu Buwei often listened to their academic discussions and gradually conceived an idea: to rely on their collective wisdom to write an unprecedented masterpiece that would ensure his name lived on for generations.
He selected dozens of brilliant scholars from his guests, asking them to write down everything they had seen, heard, and felt without reservation. After personally revising and finalizing their work, he compiled it into eight examinations, six discourses, and twelve annals—26 volumes totaling over 200,000 characters—naming it *Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals*. This work blended Confucian, Daoist, and other schools of thought, making Lü Buwei immensely proud. He ordered the book posted at the city gate and publicly declared, "If anyone can add or remove even a single character, I will reward them with a thousand taels of gold."
Seeing his arrogance, people came to watch. But after a month, no one dared to point out his flaws. Lv Buwei grew even more pleased and ordered hundreds of copies of *The Annals of Lv Buwei* to be made and distributed across the land. Before long, his fame spread throughout the world.
Later, people used the idiom "A Thousand Gold for One Word" to praise exceptionally exquisite writing.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Lu Buwei"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "一字千金" came to describe how exceptionally exquisite writing is praised.