📖 Meaning
A metaphor for treasuring something of one's own even though it may be of poor quality or little worth. It describes the tendency to overvalue one's own possessions or creations out of personal attachment. The idiom conveys a mix of self-appreciation and mild self-deprecation.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Dongguan Hanji (东观汉记), specifically the Annals of Emperor Guangwu (光武帝纪), compiled during the Eastern Han dynasty. The original text reads '家有敝帚，享之千金,' meaning that even a worn-out broom in one's home is treated as if it were worth a thousand pieces of gold. The saying reflects the natural human tendency to attach inflated value to what is one's own. Over time, this evolved into the four-character idiom '享帚自珍,' commonly used in literary and scholarly contexts when an author humbly presents their own modest work.
💡 Example Usage
这些旧诗作虽不成熟，他却享帚自珍，一直珍藏至今。
Though these old poems are immature, he treasures them like precious gems and has kept them to this day.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 享帚自珍
- Pinyin: xiǎng zhǒu zì zhēn
- Literal Translation: enjoy, broom, self, treasure
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4