📖 Meaning
To fill bookcases and load up shelves. It describes an extraordinarily rich and extensive collection of books, suggesting a household or library overflowing with volumes.
📜 Origin Story
The precise origin of this idiom is not recorded in any specific classical text or historical anecdote. It is a descriptive compound formed from its components: 充 (to fill), 箱 (chests or boxes), 盈 (to be full), and 架 (shelves). The phrase paints a vivid picture of books so numerous that they spill out of storage chests and cram every available shelf. It has been used in literary Chinese to praise a scholar's or institution's abundant book holdings.
💡 Example Usage
他家的书房古籍充箱盈架，令人叹为观止。
The ancient books in his study fill the chests and shelves, a sight that fills visitors with awe.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 充箱盈架
- Pinyin: chōng xiāng yíng jià
- Literal Translation: fill, box, fill, shelf
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4