书不尽意 shū bù jìn yì Words cannot fully express one's feelings

Explanation

书信难以表达完全心中的意思。多作书信结尾的客套话。

A letter cannot fully express one's thoughts. Often used as a polite phrase at the end of a letter.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，一位名叫李白的诗人，正值盛年，才华横溢，常常写出惊世骇俗的诗篇。一日，他与友人相约郊外游玩，期间他兴致勃勃，即兴赋诗一首，抒发了他对大自然和人生的感悟。诗成之后，他将诗作交给友人，友人读后赞叹不已，但感觉诗中蕴含的意境深邃，难以用言语完全表达出来。李白微微一笑，说道：“书不尽意，此诗之妙，唯有亲身体会才能体会到其中的精髓。” 友人深以为然，之后便常常将这首诗反复吟诵，细细品味，渐渐领悟到诗中所表达的深层含义。而这首诗也流传至今，成为千古名篇。

shuō huà táng cháo shí qī, yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de shī rén, zhèng zhí shèng nián, cái huá héng yì, cháng cháng xiě chū jīng shì hài sù de shī piān. yī rì, tā yǔ yǒu rén xiāng yuē jiāo wài yóu wán, qí jiān tā xīng zhì bó bó, jí xīng fù shī yī shǒu, shū fā le tā duì dà zì rán hé rén shēng de gǎn wù. shī chéng zhī hòu, tā jiāng shī zuò jiāo gěi yǒu rén, yǒu rén dú hòu zàn tàn bù yǐ, dàn gǎn jué shī zhōng yùn hán de yì jìng shēn suì, nán yǐ yòng yán yǔ wán quán biǎo dá chū lái. lǐ bái wēi wēi yī xiào, shuō dào: “shū bù jìn yì, cǐ shī zhī miào, wéi yǒu qīn shēn tǐ huì cái néng tǐ huì dào qí zhōng de jīng suǐ.” yǒu rén shēn yǐ wéi rán, zhī hòu biàn cháng cháng jiāng zhè shǒu shī fǎn fù yín sòng, xì xì pǐn wèi, jiàn jiàn lǐng wù dào shī zhōng suǒ biǎo dá de shēn céng hài yì. ér zhè shǒu shī yě liú chuán zhì jīn, chéng wéi qiānguǐ míng piān.

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, a poet named Li Bai, in the prime of his life, was overflowing with talent and often wrote stunning poems. One day, he made an appointment with friends for an outing in the suburbs, and during this time he was full of enthusiasm and spontaneously composed a poem, expressing his understanding of nature and life. After the poem was finished, he gave it to his friends, who read it with admiration, but felt that the atmosphere contained in the poem was so profound that it could not be fully expressed in words. Li Bai smiled slightly and said, "Words cannot fully express one's feelings; the beauty of this poem can only be understood through personal experience." His friends deeply agreed and often recited and savored the poem repeatedly, gradually understanding its deeper meaning. And this poem has been passed down to this day, becoming a classic.

Usage

常用作书信结尾，表示言辞难以表达尽兴。

cháng yòng zuò shū xìn jié wěi, biǎo shì yán cí nán yǐ biǎo dá jìn xìng

Often used at the end of a letter to express that words cannot fully convey the meaning.

Examples

• 这封信写得虽然简短，但已表达了他的全部心意，书不尽意啊！

  zhè fēng xìn xiě de suīrán jiǎnduǎn, dàn yǐ biǎodá le tā de quánbù xīn yì, shū bù jìn yì a!

  Although this letter is short, it has expressed all his intentions. Words cannot fully express one's feelings.

• 他寥寥数语，便道出了事情的原委，真是书不尽意。

  tā liáoliáo shù yǔ, biàn dào chū le shì qing de yuán wěi, zhēn shì shū bù jìn yì

  In a few words, he explained the reason of the matter. Words cannot fully express one's feelings..

Related Idioms

• 言不尽意

• 意犹未尽

Opposite Idioms

• 言简意赅

• 直截了当