📖 Meaning
Describes people or things so numerous that they cannot all be counted. It is equivalent to the idiom 更仆难数 and conveys an overwhelming abundance. The phrase originated from a classical description of attempting to enumerate something without end.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to the Book of Rites (礼记), specifically the chapter Ruxing (儒行, The Conduct of the Scholar), compiled during the Han dynasty from earlier Zhou-era materials. In the passage, Confucius explains to Duke Ai of Lu the many virtues of a true Confucian scholar. He states that a quick enumeration cannot finish covering them all, a thorough counting would require staying overnight, and even if the attending servants were rotated, the tally still could not be completed. The phrase thus underscores the inexhaustible richness of a scholar's qualities.
💡 Example Usage
历史长河中杰出的人物，更难仆数。
The outstanding figures throughout the long river of history are too numerous to count.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 更难仆数
- Pinyin: gēng nán pú shù
- Literal Translation: change, difficult, servant, count
- Category: Variety
- Characters: 4