📖 Meaning
To enter a mountain full of treasures but return empty-handed. It is a metaphor for failing to gain anything despite having excellent conditions or opportunities, most often used in the context of seeking knowledge.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces to the Buddhist sutra Mahayana Sutra on the Contemplation of the Mind-Ground (《大乘本生心地观经》), in the chapter Leaving the Worldly Realm (《离世间品》). The original passage reads, 'Like a person without hands, though they reach a treasure mountain, they ultimately gain nothing.' The sutra uses the analogy to show that without the right ability or method, one cannot benefit even when surrounded by opportunity. Over the centuries the expression evolved into the idiom 宝山空回, used to describe someone who wastes favorable circumstances and achieves nothing, especially in the pursuit of learning.
💡 Example Usage
图书馆藏书丰富，若不认真研读，岂非宝山空回？
The library has a rich collection of books; if you don't study earnestly, wouldn't you be returning empty-handed from a treasure mountain?
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 宝山空回
- Pinyin: bǎo shān kōng huí
- Literal Translation: treasure, mountain, empty, return
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4