all the tea in China

8.2

Refuse to do something even for a very large amount of money because it is too important to give up

idiom

Informal

: toda la tea en China

I wouldn't sell this painting for all the tea in China.

Examples

She wouldn't betray her friend for all the tea in China.
I wouldn't do that for all the tea in China!
He refused to give up his dream for all the tea in China.
She won't sell her painting for all the tea in China.
He refused to give up his dream for all the tea in China.
I wouldn't sell this painting for all the tea in China.
She wouldn't betray her friend for all the tea in China.

Antonyms

worthless

298 3.0

Has no value or use

Surface Forms

all the tea in China main

Morphology

all + the + tea + in + China

The literal parts ('all' + 'the tea in China') transparently yield the image of an enormous quantity or valuable reward, so a B1 learner could infer it means 'even for a very large incentive.' However, the phrase is a conventionalized hyperbolic idiom with a culturally specific image and the conventional pragmatic meaning 'no amount would persuade me' is not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The idiom all the tea in China may come from when Chinese tea was rare and very valuable in Europe, so people pictured a huge, priceless supply. That's why saying it means 'no matter how much you are offered, I will not do it'.