CHENGYU
爱不释手(ài bù shì shǒu)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral, approving
- Source:
- 南朝·梁·萧统《陶渊明集序》
MEANING
- Literal
- to love it too much to let go
- Figurative meaning
- to be so fond of something one cannot put it down
ORIGIN STORY
The prince Xiao Tong wrote of Tao Yuanming's works: "I loved his writing so much I could not take my hands off it." The phrase is the reader's, or collector's, bliss.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“unable to put it down”
EXAMPLES
这本书太好看了，让我爱不释手。Zhè běn shū tài hǎokàn le, ràng wǒ ài bù shì shǒu.HSK6
This book is so good I cannot put it down.
他拿着新手机，爱不释手。Tā ná zhe xīn shǒujī, ài bù shì shǒu.HSK6
He holds the new phone, too fond of it to let go.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It is fondness for a thing — not for a person (that is 爱不释手's limit) and not greed.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01