Ｌｕｏ Ｙａｎｇ Ｚｈｉ Ｇｕｉ

Literal Meaning:

The paper in Luoyang is very expensive

Metaphorical Meaning:

It is used to describe that a book or other written works is popular and widely read.

Zuo Si, a literalist in Jin Dynasty (266 – 420), was very naughty when he was a boy. He didnt like study and was often criticized by his father. But little Zuo Si still didnt study hard.

One day, when his father was talking with his friends, they all said that he had a smart boy. His father sighed and said: “Dont mention that. Even I at his age had better performance than him. It seems that my son has no bright future.” Then the father made a disappointed face. Zuo Si, after hearing those words and seeing the disappointment of his father, felt very sad and ashamed. So he made up his mind to study hard.

After years hard study, he became a scholar with great knowledge when he grew up. Also he was very skillful in writing. He spent one year in writing the famous Ode to the Capital of Qi, showing his talent in literature. Then he planned to write an article about the local customs, conditions and products in the capitals of the Shu, Wu and Wei in the Three Kingdoms Period (220 -265). In order to make his article consummate in contents, structure and words, he studied and wrote carefully. After ten years hard work, the famous masterpiece Ode to the Three Capitals was finished.

The Ode to the Three Capitals was widely praised by the critics. They compared it with the Ode to the Two Capitals which was finished in Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). Because the typography was not developed, people who wanted to read the Ode to the Three Capitals had to copy it in hand. And there were too many people copying this article. The paper in Luoyang was in short supply. For a while the price of the paper in Luoyang surged greatly.