爱不释手
ài bù shì shǒu
to love something too much to put it down
Character by character
爱ài
love
love
不bù
not
not
释shì
let go
let go
手shǒu
hand
hand
Example
这套老邮票他爱不释手，每天晚上都要拿出来看一看。
He adores this set of old stamps and gets them out to look at every evening.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
First met as a word in lesson 3-12. 释 means to let go, as in 释放. Said of things you can hold: books, toys, gifts. For a child you dote on, use 疼爱 instead.
Learn this in Lesson 131 · HSK 7–9: 消失的老物件 (Things that disappeared)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →