It means that no amount of money can buy a smile.

Source: Strange Views, a poem written by Hua Yue, a poet in the Song Dynasty.

original text: Yu Qian doesn't buy a thousand gold smiles, and Liu Dai doesn't need all kinds of makeup.

Interpretation: Yuqian, also known as the elm pod, is the seed of elm, and it is named Yuqian because it resembles the ancient strung hemp money. Therefore, this sentence literally means that no amount of money can buy a smile. Wicker doesn't need a hundred treasures for makeup. Describe the simplicity and purity of the willow belt.

Extended information

Hua Yue is a famous patriot, and his works "Journey to the South of Cuiwei" are all poems except "The Letter of Emperor Shangningzong on the Northern Expedition". His poems mostly express the injustice and indignation after persecution. Poems in prison, such as Writing in Prison, v. Dong Si Cheng, and Presenting a Rich and Great Qing, express the noble spirit of "How to drain the blood of evil spirits and dye them as clothes to see Meng An".

Hua Yue can also write ci, but his works are long lost. Kong Fanli's Supplement to the Poems of the Whole Song Dynasty collected 18 Chinese ci poems from Poem Garden. Apart from writing about life experience and feelings between men and women, there are also patriotic ci poems, such as [Man Jianghong] and "Temple Society Now", which are consistent with the style of Xin school ci poems.

Baidu encyclopedia-Hua Yue