文山会海 sea of documents and meetings
Explanation
形容文件、会议过多，使人应接不暇，难以处理。
Describes an overwhelming amount of documents and meetings that are difficult to handle.
Origin Story
话说唐朝时期，有个名叫李白的官员，他非常勤奋好学，常常阅读大量的书籍和文件。有一天，李白收到了一大堆来自全国各地的奏章和公文，这些文件堆积如山，简直像一座小山似的。李白为了处理这些文件，夜以继日地工作，但是，这些文件太多了，他工作到很晚，仍然还有许多文件没有处理完。他累得疲惫不堪，感到非常苦恼。李白心想：如果每天都有这么多文件要处理，那他什么时候才能完成自己的其它工作呢？从那以后，李白开始认真思考如何提高工作效率，减少不必要的文书工作。他制定了一系列的措施，例如：简化文件流程、减少会议次数、提高信息传递效率等等。在他的努力之下，文书工作得到有效控制，李白也终于有时间去完成他的其他重要任务了。
Once upon a time in ancient China, there was an official named Li Bai, who was very diligent and studious. He often read a large number of books and documents. One day, Li Bai received a large pile of memorials and official documents from all over the country, which were piled up like mountains. To process these documents, Li Bai worked day and night, but there were too many documents, and even late at night, he still had many documents to process. He was exhausted and very distressed. Li Bai thought to himself, "If there are so many documents to process every day, when will I be able to finish my other work?" From then on, Li Bai began to seriously think about how to improve his work efficiency and reduce unnecessary paperwork. He implemented a series of measures, such as: simplifying document procedures, reducing the number of meetings, and improving the efficiency of information transmission. With his efforts, the paperwork was effectively controlled, and Li Bai finally had time to complete his other important tasks.
Usage
多用于形容政府机关或企事业单位文件和会议过多，效率低下。
Often used to describe that there are too many documents and meetings in government agencies or enterprises, and the efficiency is low.
Examples
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会议一个接一个，文件一摞又一摞，简直就是文山会海。
huiyi yige jiejie yige, wenjian yiluo you yiluo, ganzhi shi wenshanhuihai
Meeting after meeting, piles upon piles of documents. It's nothing but a sea of paperwork.
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公司最近陷入文山会海的状态，效率极低。
gongsi zuijin xianru wenshanhuihai de zhuangtai, xiaolv jidi
The company has recently been stuck in a sea of paperwork and its efficiency is extremely low.