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爱不释手 (ài bú shì shǒu) — (idiom) to be so fond of something that one can't put it down

Definition

Idiom for loving a physical object (book, gift, tool) so much you can't let go of it. Unlike 乐此不疲, which describes never tiring of an activity, 爱不释手 is about holding onto a thing.

idiom
to be so fond of something that one can't put it down

Examples

  • 爱不释手。
    Tā dé dào nà běn màn huà shū hòu yì zhí ài bú shì shǒu.
    After getting that comic book, he couldn't put it down.
  • ，爱不释手。
    Zhè jiàn gōng yì pǐn zuò gōng jīng měi, ràng rén ài bú shì shǒu.
    This handicraft is exquisitely made — people can't help but keep holding it.
  • 爱不释手，。
    Mèi mei duì xīn mǎi de wán jù ài bú shì shǒu, lián fàn dōu bù xiǎng chī le.
    My younger sister is so absorbed in her new toy that she doesn't even want to eat.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 愛; 爱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
旡
旡jì愛ài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For the traditional form 愛, an older shape paired 心 (heart) with 旡 as its sound part; later a foot-like 夊 was added below. The simplified 爱 is a later variant that replaces the lower part with 友.

Open 爱 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 釋; 释 is its simplified writing.

  • 釆釆biànto distinguish
  • 睪睪yìto release; to see

The traditional form 釋 puts 釆 (to distinguish) beside 睪, a part that gives the sound and means “to release; to see”; the simplified 释 is a later shortened shape.

Open 释 →

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

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Idioms & Set Phrases

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