玩物丧志
- Literal
- toying with things, losing one's will
- Figurative
- To lose one's drive and sense of purpose by indulging in hobbies or amusements; a reproach, often from parents to children.
Where does 玩物丧志 come from?
It comes from the 《尚书》, in the chapter “旅獒”. After the conquest of Shang, King Wu of Zhou received a large dog as tribute from a western people, and the Duke of Shao wrote a warning so that the king would not let rare gifts distract him: 玩人丧德，玩物丧志 — toying with people costs you your virtue; toying with things costs you your will. It was advice on government, about not losing sight of what matters. Today the phrase has become a household one, said of video games, collections or any hobby that makes someone neglect school or work, almost always as a reproach.
Source (出处): 《尚书·旅獒》
How is 玩物丧志 used? Two examples
- 爸妈总说我打游戏是玩物丧志，可我只是周末玩一会儿。
My parents keep saying video games will sap my ambition, but I only play for a bit on weekends.
- 他当上经理后迷上了收藏古董，玩物丧志，公司的事都不管了。
Since becoming manager he's been hooked on collecting antiques and lost his focus; he no longer bothers with anything at the company.
In Wanyu, all 400 chengyu have audio on every sentence, and you can save them to your decks and review them with spaced repetition. Free.
