📖 Meaning
Books and bamboo scrolls pile up until they fill the house. It describes an abundance of writings or documents so great that they cannot all be read or exhausted. The idiom conveys that someone's words, deeds, or literary output are extraordinarily voluminous.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Fang Bao's 'Ode to the Eternal Precious Calendar' (万年宝历颂) of the Qing Dynasty. Fang Bao, a prominent prose writer, composed this piece to praise the emperor's great virtue, meritorious deeds, fine words, and benevolent governance. He wrote that even if one were to pile bamboo scrolls until they filled the rafters, the emperor's achievements and good policies still could not be fully enumerated. The idiom thus carries a tone of reverent admiration for an overwhelming abundance of worthy records.
💡 Example Usage
他一生著述不辍，所写文章积简充栋，堪称一代文豪。
He wrote ceaselessly throughout his life, producing articles so numerous they could fill a house, truly a literary master of his generation.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 积简充栋
- Pinyin: jī jiǎn chōng dòng
- Literal Translation: accumulate, bamboo slips, fill, ridgepole
- Category: Variety
- Characters: 4