📖 Meaning
To see an object and feel sorrow because it reminds one of its owner or a departed person. It describes a deep sense of longing and sentimental grief triggered by encountering something associated with someone one misses.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Volume 1 of 'Stories to Caution the World' (醒世恒言), a renowned collection of vernacular short stories compiled by the Ming dynasty writer Feng Menglong. The original passage notes that although years have passed, memories remain vivid; upon seeing a familiar object, one is moved to sadness and cannot help but weep. It captures the enduring emotional bond between people and the objects connected to their loved ones.
💡 Example Usage
看到祖母留下的旧衣物，她不禁睹物伤情，泪流满面。
Seeing the old clothes left behind by her grandmother, she was overcome with grief and tears streamed down her face.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 睹物伤情
- Pinyin: dǔ wù shāng qíng
- Literal Translation: see, thing, hurt, feeling
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4