意犹未尽 (yì yóu wèi jìn) — to feel that something enjoyable ended too soon; to wish it could continue

Definition

A chengyu meaning you enjoyed something so much that it ended too soon — the feeling of wanting more, not being satisfied yet.

idiom
to feel that something enjoyable ended too soonto wish it could continue

Examples

  • ，。
    Zhè bù diàn yǐng tài jīng cǎi le, kàn wán hòu ràng rén yì yóu wèi jìn.
    This movie was so brilliant that after watching it, I still wanted more.
  • ，意犹未尽，。
    Tā de yǎn jiǎng suī rán jié shù le, dàn tīng zhòng men hái yì yóu wèi jìn, xī wàng tā zài duō jiǎng yì xiē.
    Although his speech ended, the audience still felt unsatisfied, hoping he would talk more.
  • ，。
    Zhè dùn fàn wèi dào hěn hǎo, dà jiā dōu chī dé yì yóu wèi jìn.
    This meal tasted wonderful, and everyone ate until they wished they could keep going.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 猶; 犹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
酋
酋qiú猶yóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 猶 combines 犬 (dog) with 酋 as a sound part, and the evidence identifies it as a kind of monkey. The simplified 犹 is a shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 犹 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 未 shows a tree with extra branches spreading above its trunk, like lush, overlapping limbs.

Open 未 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 盡; 尽 is its simplified writing.

  • 聿聿yùhand holding a brush
  • 灬灬huǒbristles
  • 皿皿mǐndish

The traditional form 盡 shows 聿 (hand holding a brush) and 灬 (bristles) over 皿 (dish), cleaning a dish until it is empty. The simplified 尽 is a shorthand, not those historical parts.

Open 尽 →

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