📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a collection of books so vast that transporting them makes the oxen sweat, and storing them piles up to the ceiling rafters. It is used to praise someone's immense library or the sheer volume of written works on a subject.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the Tang dynasty writer Liu Zongyuan's 'Epitaph for Lu Wentong' (《陆文通墓表》), where he described Lu's vast book collection. He wrote that when stored, the books filled the house to the rafters (充栋宇), and when transported, they made the oxen and horses sweat (汗牛马). The idiom was later condensed into '汗牛充栋' and has been used ever since to describe an enormous collection of books.
💡 Example Usage
他家世代藏书，如今已是汗牛充栋，令人叹为观止。
His family has collected books for generations, and now the collection is so vast it would make oxen sweat and fill the house to the rafters — truly a breathtaking sight.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 汗牛充栋
- Pinyin: hàn niú chōng dòng
- Literal Translation: sweat, ox, fill, roof beam
- Category: Knowledge
- Characters: 4