Hanzi
CharactersIdiomsChinese ZodiacChinese Name
Tools
  • Chinese Word CounterCount characters, words and sentences in Chinese text
  • Pinyin GeneratorConvert Chinese text to pinyin with tone marks
  • Chinese Text Image GeneratorRender Chinese text as a downloadable image
  • Chinese Text to SpeechRead Chinese aloud with karaoke highlighting
  • Stroke Order AnimatorTurn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
  • Writing WorksheetsPrintable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
View all tools →
Blogs
儿女情长
儿女情长
儿女情长
儿女情长
儿女情长
儿女情长
儿女情长
儿女情长

儿女情长 — Chinese Idiom

儿女情长 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Overly sentimental or preoccupied with romantic love and personal affections, often to the neglect of more important matters”.

Frequency

儿女情长 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 儿ér
  • 女nǚ
  • 情qíng
  • 长cháng

儿女情长 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
儿
ér2child, son, offspring
女
nǚ3woman, female, daughter
情
qíng11emotions, feelings, love
长
cháng4long, grow, excel, chief

Example Sentence with 儿女情长

他总是沉溺于儿女情长,无法专注于自己的事业。
He was always caught up in personal romantic sentiments, unable to focus on his career.

Origin and Story of 儿女情长

The idiom "儿女情长" comes from a critique of the renowned Jin Dynasty poet Zhang Hua. Zhang Hua, known for his representative work "Seven Sorrows Poems," admired and emulated the style of Wang Can. He was praised for his splendid diction, meticulous word choice, pursuit of poetic grandeur, and diverse expressive techniques, earning him high repute in his time.

However, Zhong Rong of the Southern Dynasties' Liang era, in his work "Critique of Poetry" (Shi Pin), commented on Zhang Hua's style, stating: "I particularly regret his excessive sentimentality (儿女情多) and lack of heroic spirit (风云气少)."

Here, "儿女情多" refers to being overly sentimental or immersed in romantic feelings, which then evolved into the idiom "儿女情长" meaning to be excessively preoccupied with love and personal affections.

Idioms Related to 儿女情长

Synonyms of 儿女情长

  • nán男huān欢nǚ女ài爱romantic affection between man and woman
  • shì舐dú犊qíng情shēn深deep parental love for children

Antonyms of 儿女情长

  • lěng冷kù酷wú无qíng情cold-hearted and ruthless

More idioms starting with 儿

  • ér儿dà大bù不yóu由niáng娘Grown children make their own decisions
  • ér儿dà大bù不yóu由yé爷Grown children make their own decisions
  • ér儿nǚ女zhī之zhài债lifelong parental obligation to children
  • ér儿nǚ女zhī之qíng情romantic love between a couple
  • ér儿nǚ女qìng亲jiā家children's in-laws
  • ér儿nǚ女fū夫qī妻childhood sweethearts who married
  • ér儿nǚ女zi子yǔ语childish or ill-considered talk
  • ér儿nǚ女xīn心cháng肠tender-hearted and compassionate
  • ér儿nǚ女qíng情duō多full of tender romantic feelings
  • ér儿nǚ女qíng情duō多,,fēng风yún云qì气shǎo少too much romance, too little ambition
  • ér儿nǚ女qíng情cháng长,,yīng英xióng雄qì气duǎn短sentimental love diminishes heroic spirit
  • ér儿nǚ女chéng成háng行to have many children

Questions about 儿女情长

What does 儿女情长 mean?
儿女情长 (ér nǚ qíng cháng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Overly sentimental or preoccupied with romantic love and personal affections, often to the neglect of more important matters”.
How do you pronounce 儿女情长?
儿女情长 is pronounced ér nǚ qíng cháng in Mandarin Chinese.
Where does 儿女情长 come from?
儿女情长 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 儿女情长?
指过分看重爱情。
Copy the pinyin for 儿女情长 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

© 2026 hanzi.now

Contact Us