目不暇给 mù bù xiá jǐ eyes can't feast enough

Explanation

形容东西多，眼睛都看不过来。

To describe the abundance of things that one's eyes cannot catch.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，扬州城繁华无比，商贾云集，货物琳琅满目。一天，一位来自西域的商人来到扬州，准备采购丝绸、瓷器等商品带回家乡。他漫步在熙熙攘攘的街道上，两旁店铺的货物堆积如山，琳琅满目，各种奇珍异宝应有尽有。商人看得眼花缭乱，目不暇给，恨不得把所有的好东西都买回去。他走进一家丝绸店，只见店里摆满了各种颜色的丝绸，光滑细腻，色彩艳丽，商人看得入了迷，简直移不开眼睛。他还去了瓷器店、茶叶店等，每一家店里的商品都让他惊叹不已，目不暇给。最后，商人满载而归，他的船上装满了各种各样的商品，准备启程回国。回到家乡后，商人把这些商品拿出来，人们看到这些精美的货物，也惊叹不已，纷纷赞扬商人的眼光独到。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yáng zhōu chéng fán huá wú bǐ, shāng jiǎ yún jí, huò wù lín láng mǎn mù. yī tiān, yī wèi lái zì xī yù de shāng rén lái dào yáng zhōu, zhǔn bèi cǎi gòu sī chóu, cí qì děng shāng pǐn dài huí jiā xiāng. tā màn bù zài xī xī rǎng rǎng de jiē dào shàng, liǎng páng diàn pù de huò wù duī jī rú shān, lín láng mǎn mù, gè zhǒng qí zhēn yì bǎo yīng yǒu jìn yǒu. shāng rén kàn de yǎn huā liáo luàn, mù bù xiá jǐ, hèn bù dé bǎ suǒ yǒu de hǎo dōng xi dōu mǎi huí qù. tā zǒu jìn yī jiā sī chóu diàn, zhǐ jiàn diàn lǐ bǎi mǎn le gè zhǒng yán sè de sī chóu, guāng huá xì nì, sè cǎi yàn lì, shāng rén kàn de rù le mí, jiǎn zhí yí bù kāi yǎn jīng. tā hái qù le cí qì diàn, chá yè diàn děng, měi yī jiā diàn lǐ de shāng pǐn dōu ràng tā jīng tàn bù yǐ, mù bù xiá jǐ. zuì hòu, shāng rén mǎn zài ér guī, tā de chuán shàng zhuāng mǎn le gè zhǒng gè yàng de shāng pǐn, zhǔn bèi qǐ chéng huí guó. huí dào jiā xiāng hòu, shāng rén bǎ zhè xiē shāng pǐn ná chū lái, rén men kàn dào zhè xiē jīng měi de huò wù, yě jīng tàn bù yǐ, fēn fēn zàn yáng shāng rén de yǎn guāng dú dào.

In the Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou was incredibly bustling, full of merchants and goods. A merchant from the west came to Yangzhou to buy silk and porcelain for his homeland. He walked through the busy streets, the shops were overflowing with merchandise, treasures were everywhere. The merchant was overwhelmed by the variety and could barely see it all. He went into a silk shop and saw countless silk fabrics in all colors. He also went to porcelain shops, tea houses, etc., each shop impressed him with the variety of goods. Finally, the merchant returned home with a fully loaded ship. The people in his hometown were also impressed by the wide variety of goods.

Usage

作谓语、定语、状语；多用于描写景物或物品。

zuò wèiyǔ, dìngyǔ, zhuàngyǔ; duō yòng yú miáoxiě jǐngwù huò wùpǐn

Used as a predicate, attributive, and adverbial; mostly used to describe scenery or objects.

Examples

• 博物馆里珍宝琳琅满目，令人目不暇接。

  bowuguan li zhenbao linlang manmu, lingren mubuxiajie

  The treasures in the museum are numerous and overwhelming.

• 展销会上商品丰富多彩，真是目不暇给。

  zhanxiao hui shangpin fengfu duocài, zhen shi mubuxiaji

  At the trade fair, the variety of goods is breathtaking.

Related Idioms

• 目不暇接

• 应接不暇

Opposite Idioms

• 寥寥无几

• 屈指可数