真正的金粉
這就是畫面本身，還沒有變成比喻的階段。
noun · B2
Gold in the form of very small grains or powder, such as the tiny pieces of gold that are washed out of a river bed or left over when gold is cut and shaped.
金粉／砂金
核心畫面
One way to hold this word: picture the bottom of a pan after a long morning at the river. All the sand has been washed away and what is left is a thin line of gold grains, small enough to blow off your hand. Two things are true of that line at the same time. It is worth real money, and there is almost none of it, because hours of work produced this much. English keeps both halves of that picture. Whenever gold dust is used about something that is not gold, it is saying: this is worth a lot, and there is not much of it.
這個詞的畫面可以想成淘金盤的盤底。整個早上洗下來，沙都倒掉了，最後留下沿著盤邊的一條細細金粒，輕到一吹就散。這條線同…更多收起
這個詞的畫面可以想成淘金盤的盤底。整個早上洗下來，沙都倒掉了，最後留下沿著盤邊的一條細細金粒，輕到一吹就散。這條線同時成立兩件事：它真的值錢，而且它真的很少——幾個小時的工只換到這麼一點。英文後來借這個詞去講別的東西時，借走的就是這兩半。凡是用 gold dust 形容不是金子的東西，說的都是：這很有價值，而且沒有多少。Two branches
又值錢又難得
把盤底那條金線的兩個特點搬到別的東西上：一邊強調難拿到，一邊強調太寶貴，用哪一個要看說話的人想講哪一半。
noun · C1
If something is like gold dust, so many people want it and so little of it exists that it is very hard to get hold of.
搶手到一票難求