📖 Meaning
To bundle something up and place it on a high shelf. It is a metaphor for setting something aside and leaving it unused or ignored. It is a variant of the more common idiom 束之高阁.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom shares the same origin and meaning as the well-known phrase 束之高阁, which dates back to the Jin dynasty. The original story concerns Yu Yi, a general during the Eastern Jin period, whose ambitious military plans were dismissed by the court and figuratively placed on a high shelf. Over time, the variant 束在高阁 emerged in literary usage as an alternative phrasing, preserving the image of tying up an object and storing it out of reach. Both forms convey the idea of neglecting or shelving something rather than putting it to use.
💡 Example Usage
这项重要的改革方案被束在高阁，至今仍未实施。
This important reform proposal was shelved and has still not been implemented to this day.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 束在高阁
- Pinyin: shù zài gāo gé
- Literal Translation: tie up, place, on, high, shelf
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4