📖 Meaning
Literally pulling and stretching fabric to patch it together. It is a metaphor for writing that overuses allusions and references, stitching in too many borrowed elements until the work becomes forced and loses its natural quality.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from classical Chinese literary criticism, where scholars debated the merits of using allusions (用事) in prose and poetry. Critics observed that some writers crammed their works with excessive quotations and references, much like crudely patching a garment, which weakened rather than enriched the writing. The image of pulling and stitching reflects how forced literary decoration damages the overall coherence of a text. It served as a caution against over-ornamentation in composition.
💡 Example Usage
这篇文章用典太多，拘挛补衲，反失自然之美。
This essay is so overloaded with allusions that it feels stitched together awkwardly, losing its natural beauty.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 拘挛补衲
- Pinyin: jū luán bǔ nà
- Literal Translation: pull and stretch, patch and stitch
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4