📖 Meaning
An unbroken and continuous stretch or sequence. It describes something that goes on and on without interruption, such as mountains, rain, or a series of events. Often used for physical things extending endlessly or situations persisting without pause.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Ming dynasty writer Zhu Guozhen's work 'Yongchuang Xiaopin' (涌幢小品). In a personal passage, Zhu recounts suffering a series of family losses — first his wife, then his sons, then his sister, and finally his mother — all in unbroken succession. He used the expression '连绵不绝' to convey that these bereavements came one after another without ceasing, bringing him endless grief and sorrow. Over time the variant '连绵不断' became the more common written form, applied broadly to anything continuous and uninterrupted.
💡 Example Usage
连绵不断的高山阻挡了我们前进的去路。
The continuous chain of mountains blocked our path forward.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 连绵不断
- Pinyin: lián mián bù duàn
- Literal Translation: continuous, unbroken, not, stop
- Category: Distance
- Characters: 4