📖 Meaning
To be deeply moved and sigh with emotion. It describes a state where one's feelings are so stirred by a situation or memory that sighs and lamentations follow naturally. The idiom conveys a sense of emotional attachment to a past event or experience that lingers in the heart.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in a poem by Liu Zhen of the Han Dynasty, who wrote of autumn days bringing sorrow and long sighs. It was later immortalized by the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in his celebrated 'Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering.' Wang reflected on how human emotions change with circumstances—once the initial excitement fades, feelings shift with the passage of time, and one cannot help but be moved to sigh. The phrase captures the bittersweet awareness of impermanence that runs through classical Chinese literature.
💡 Example Usage
翻看旧照片时，他感慨系之，久久不语。
While looking through old photographs, he was overcome with emotion and remained silent for a long time.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 感慨系之
- Pinyin: gǎn kǎi xì zhī
- Literal Translation: feel, sigh, tie, this
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4