Be True to One's Word 一諾千金

The Chinese idiom 一諾千金 (yi1 nuo4 qian1 jin1) literally means the promise is weightier than one thousand taels of gold. It comes from a story about Ji Bu, a well known chief officer of the imperial bodyguards in the court of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 24).

Ji's claim to fame was his mastery or martial arts and his commitment to personal honour and loyalty. As a young man, Ji joined the rebel army fighting against the rule of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). After the collapse of the Qin regime, Ji survived a number of trumped up charges against him and became the chief officer of the imperial bodyguards.

Ji remained an outspoken critic against corruption and bad policies. One day, he openly advised his friends to distance themselves from Cao Qiusheng, a silver tongued aide in the court. News of this eventually reach Cao, so the aide approached Ji to discuss the matter. Cao said:

I cannot understand what makes me such a loathesome person in your eyes. You are from the Chu area like me. Everyone in that area, including me, holds you in high regard due to your commitment to personal honour and loyalty. We all say that "a promise made by Ji Bu is weighter than one thousand taels of gold."

Cao's flattery changed Ji's attitude toward him. Ji came to respect Cao and later the two became good friends.

The English idioms be true to one's words and one's word is one's bond have a meaning that is equivalent to the Chinese idiom 一諾千金 (yi1 nuo4 qian1 jin1).