Overly sentimental or preoccupied with romantic love and personal affections, often to the neglect of more important matters.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
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.