儿女情长 Sentimental attachment
Explanation
指过分看重爱情，感情用事。
Refers to excessive emphasis on love and emotional behavior.
Origin Story
晋代诗人张华以其华丽辞藻和诗歌的华美著称。然而，南朝梁代的钟嵘在其著作《诗品》中评价张华的诗歌时却说：‘尤恨其儿女情多，风云气少。’这句评价并非完全否定张华的才华，而是指出他过分注重儿女情长，在诗歌中缺乏一种豪迈的气概和气吞山河的雄心壮志。这与当时盛行的建安风骨的诗歌风格有所不同。张华的诗歌更多地表达了个人情感，而缺乏一种家国情怀和社会责任感，这在当时是颇受诟病的。他的诗歌风格也反映了当时社会的一种审美趣味，但同时也体现出一种局限性。后来，“儿女情长”就被用来形容那些过于看重个人情感，而忽略其他重要事情的人。例如，一位年轻的将军在战场上过于思念家乡的妻子儿女，以至于错失了重要的战机，最终导致了战争的失败。这便是“儿女情长”的负面影响。当然，“儿女情长”本身并不一定全是贬义词，它也可以用来形容爱情的甜蜜和温馨，但当它与其他更重要的目标相冲突时，便会成为一种阻碍。
Zhang Hua, a poet from the Jin Dynasty, was known for his gorgeous rhetoric and the beauty of his poetry. However, Zhong Rong, from the Southern Liang Dynasty, commented on Zhang Hua's poetry in his book, "Shi Pin," saying: "I particularly regret that he has too much love for children and women, too little of the spirit of a warrior." This comment does not entirely deny Zhang Hua's talent but points out that he overemphasized sentimental matters and lacked the heroic temperament and ambition to "swallow mountains and rivers" in his poetry. This differed from the then-prevailing style of Jian'an poetry. Zhang Hua's poems expressed more personal emotions but lacked a sense of patriotism and social responsibility, which was heavily criticized at that time. His poetic style also reflects a certain aesthetic taste of that society, but also shows a limitation. Later, "Ernuqingchang" was used to describe those who overemphasize personal emotions and neglect other important things. For example, a young general missed important opportunities on the battlefield because he missed his wife and children at home too much, ultimately leading to the failure of the war. These are the negative impacts of "Ernuqingchang." Of course, "Ernuqingchang" is not necessarily derogatory; it can also be used to describe the sweetness and warmth of love, but when it conflicts with other more important goals, it becomes an obstacle.
Usage
常用来形容过分沉溺于儿女情长而忽略其他重要事情的人或事。
Often used to describe people or things that are too indulged in sentimental matters and neglect other important things.
Examples
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他整天沉溺于儿女情长，事业上毫无建树。
ta zhengtian chenni yu ernu qingchang, shiye shang haowu jianshu
He is always indulged in the sentimental matters, and has achieved nothing in his career.
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不要被儿女情长所迷惑，要以事业为重。
buya bei ernu qingchang suo mihuo, yao yi shiye wei zhong
Don't be fooled by sentimental matters, you should focus on your career.