yī 一 běn 本 wàn 万 lì 利

一本万利 yī běn wàn lì

small investment, huge profit; highly lucrative

Literally: one capital ten-thousand profit

Intermediate 💼 Work & money

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Origin

Descriptive; no single source story. Common in Ming and Qing vernacular fiction about trade.

How to use it

Attributive or predicate; neutral, sometimes ironic. 一本万利的生意.

Example sentences

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世界上没有一本万利的生意，别相信这种广告。

Shìjiè shàng méiyǒu yī běn wàn lì de shēngyi, bié xiāngxìn zhè zhǒng guǎnggào.

There is no business that turns a tiny investment into a fortune; don't believe ads like that.

world on not have one capital ten-thousand profit (particle) business, don't believe this kind advertisement
他以为开网店是一本万利，结果第一年就赔了钱。

Tā yǐwéi kāi wǎngdiàn shì yī běn wàn lì, jiéguǒ dì-yī nián jiù péi le qián.

He thought running an online shop would be hugely profitable, but he lost money in the very first year.

he assume open online shop is one capital ten-thousand profit, result first year then lose (particle) money

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