旧物青毡 — “A cherished old possession”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 旧物青毡?

青毡子是家传的故物。比喻珍贵之物

旧物青毡 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a cherished old possession”. An heirloom or something extremely valuable and treasured, often due to sentimental reasons rather than monetary worth.

Frequency

旧物青毡 Pronunciation and Pinyin

旧物青毡 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
旧	jiù	5	old, former, used
物	wù	8	thing, matter, creature, object
青	qīng	8	green, blue, or young
毡	zhān	9	felt fabric

Example Sentence with 旧物青毡

这本泛黄的旧相册，记录了家族的百年变迁，对我们来说是无可替代的旧物青毡。

This yellowed old photo album, documenting a century of family changes, is an irreplaceable cherished heirloom for us.

Origin and Story of 旧物青毡

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the great calligrapher Wang Xianzhi was known for his magnanimity. One night, he worked late and fell asleep in his study.

That very night, several thieves broke into his study and began to pack up all the valuable items. When one of the thieves tried to take an old felt blanket, Wang Xianzhi calmly said, 'You may take the valuable things, but please leave the blue felt blanket.'

This anecdote highlights that the seemingly ordinary blue felt blanket was, in fact, a deeply cherished heirloom to him, holding far more sentimental value than any other possession, despite its apparent lack of monetary worth.