"An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, but an inch of gold can't buy an inch of time" is a proverb that enriches the literature. I don't know the specific author.

An inch of time and an inch of gold is written by Wang Zhenbai.

Wang Zhenbai, the word Youdao (875-958), is called Lingxi. Xinzhou Yongfeng (now Guangfeng, Jiangxi) was born. Famous poets in the late Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. In the second year of Tang Dynasty (895), he was a scholar, and seven years later (902), he served as a school librarian, auditioning with Luo Yin, Fang Gan and Guan Xiu.

During his seven years in office, he went out with the army to resist foreign enemies and wrote many frontier poems, many of which reflected frontier life and boosted morale. The feeling of defense is moving. The description of military labor and war scenes is heroic, strong in color and sonorous in tone. Lingxi Collection consists of seven volumes, and one volume of poetry is compiled today. His famous saying "an inch of time and an inch of gold" has been widely circulated among the people.

Poetry Translation and Appreciation The First Part of Two Poems by Bailudong Wang Zhenbai [Tang Dynasty]

Concentrate on reading, I know that spring has passed, and every inch of time is as precious as an inch of gold.

It is not Taoism that mocks, but the teachings of Duke Zhou are devoted to the study of Confucius.

Translation:

Concentrate on reading, before you know it, it's late spring. An inch of time is an inch of gold.

If the Taoist priest hadn't come to laugh, he would still be studying the essence and teachings of Duke Zhou and Confucius.

Translation:

Two Poems of Bailudong is a seven-character quatrain written by Wang Zhenbai, a poet in the late Tang and Five Dynasties. The first poem is about my reading life. This is a poem that cherishes time. The poem "an inch of time and an inch of gold" has become a famous saying to warn the world to cherish time. Future generations should be inspired and educated. Knowledge is accumulated by time. In order to enrich ourselves, we should cherish time very much.