可远观而不可亵玩焉

可遠觀而不可褻玩焉

kěyuǎnguānérbùkěxièwányān

phrase

Meanings

1 it may be admired from afar but not toyed with up close
2 (fig.) something pure that demands respectful distance, not casual familiarity
3 (lit.) may be-far-viewed but not may be-profanely-handled

Characters

to observe (远观 = view from afar)

to profane / treat familiarly

玩

wán

to play with (亵玩 = to toy with disrespectfully)

焉

yān

(classical sentence-final particle)

Examples

她高冷的气质让人觉得可远观而不可亵玩焉。

Tā gāolěng de qìzhí ràng rén juéde kě yuǎn guān ér bù kě xiè wán yān.

Her aloof aura gives the sense that she 'may be admired from afar but not played with up close.'

这件文物价值连城，可远观而不可亵玩焉。

Zhè jiàn wénwù jiàzhí liánchéng, kě yuǎn guān ér bù kě xiè wán yān.

This artifact is of immense value — 'to be viewed from afar, never to be handled.'

Tips

history

From 周敦颐《爱莲说》(Zhou Dunyi, Northern Song, 11th c.), the classical prose essay 'On Loving Lotus': 予独爱莲之出淤泥而不染……可远观而不可亵玩焉 (I alone love the lotus: it rises from mud unstained... it may be viewed from afar but not toyed with up close). Zhou, a founder of Neo-Confucianism, made the lotus the moral emblem of the Confucian gentleman — pure amid corruption, dignified at a distance.

usage

焉 is a classical sentence-final particle (≈ 了/啊). 亵 (xiè) = to treat profanely, make too familiar — a morally weighty word, not just 'handle.' Today often used humorously of an untouchable crush or celebrity.

Stroke Order

可 kě

远 yuǎn

观 guān

而 ér

不 bù

亵 xiè

玩 wán

焉 yān