📖 Meaning
Originally referred to Ban Zhao, a female historian of the Han dynasty, who was ordered by Emperor He to complete the unfinished 'Book of Han' at the Dongguan imperial library after her brother Ban Gu's death. It is now used to praise a woman's profound scholarship, literary talent, and learning.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the 'Book of Later Han' (后汉书), in the biography of Cao Shishu's wife. During the Eastern Han dynasty, Ban Zhao (styled Huiban), daughter of the scholar Ban Biao and younger sister of Ban Gu, was a renowned female scholar. When Ban Gu died before completing the 'Book of Han' — specifically the Eight Tables and the Astronomical Treatise — Emperor He summoned Ban Zhao to the Dongguan imperial library to finish the work. Her achievement made her one of the most celebrated female scholars in Chinese history.
💡 Example Usage
她学富五车，文采斐然，堪称当代的东观续史。
With her vast learning and brilliant literary talent, she can rightly be called a modern-day heir to Ban Zhao's legacy.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 东观续史
- Pinyin: dōng guān xù shǐ
- Literal Translation: Eastern Library, continue, history
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4