jià jhíh lián chéng

Literal translation: To have the value (價值, jià jhíh) of many cities (連城, lián chéng)

Actual Meaning: To be very, very valuable

In the ancient kingdom of Chu (楚), a young woodsman named Bian He (卞和) spotted a peculiar piece of rock in the mountains. Upon closer inspection, Bian He gasped: “This is no ordinary stone, but a rare jade!” Carefully, Bian He chipped at and freed the jade. “I will present this to King Li - this will solidify our monetary policy by moving us away from the gold standard!” And so off He went to the royal palace.

Bian He smiled as he presented his jade in front of King Li. King Li, however, was not a skilled jade appraiser (he never went to college, after all). He glared at the jade and yelled: “This man is mocking my kingship with this silly rock - off with his leg!” And there went Bian He’s leg.

Before long, a new King Wu succeeded the throne. Unlike King Li, King Wu had a prestigious Bamboo League education - surely he’ll recognize the jade! Bian He limped towards the palace in crutches and, once again, humbly presented his rock. Unfortunately, King Wu never took any geology electives and failed to recognize the jade as well. “This man is mocking the royal court yet again - off with his other leg!” And there went Bian He’s other leg.

At this point Bian He was veritably depressed - anyone would be after losing both legs. The now incapacitated Bian He called for an Uber Rickshaw home and cried for 3 days straight.

A few years passed, and a new King Wen came along. King Wen caught wind of this peculiar story and sent someone to question Bian He, who explained: “I cried not because I’ve lost my legs, but because our king mistakes jade for stone, and a loyal servant for a liar!”

Shaken by Bian He’s strong conviction (and also mildly annoyed by the comment), King Wen decided to appraise the stone once more. This time, he did the sensible thing and asked for a professional jeweler who finally confirmed the priceless jade. In Bian He’s honor (and as an apology of sorts), the jade was named the He Shi Bi - Mr. He’s Jade.

Eventually, the He Shi Bi fell into the hands of the Zhao (趙) kingdom. The Qin (秦) kingdom wanted the jade and offered 15 cities in exchange for it, creating the origin of this Chengyu.

TL;DR: Bian He offers a prized jade worth 15 cities to his king, but only after losing both legs. Only then - as ironic as it sounds - is he able to stand up for himself.