束之高阁

束之高閣

shùzhīgāogé

idiom #40,867

Meanings

1 to bundle something up and put it on a high shelf
2 to shelve indefinitely; to put on the back burner

Characters

to bundle; to bind

it (classical object pronoun)

shelf; pavilion

Examples

这项建议被束之高阁，一直没人提起。

Zhè xiàng jiànyì bèi shùzhīgāogé, yīzhí méi rén tíqǐ.

That proposal was shelved, and no one has mentioned it since.

买了那么多书，大部分都束之高阁了。

Mǎi le nàme duō shū, dàbùfen dōu shùzhīgāogé le.

I bought so many books, but most of them ended up gathering dust.

计划不能束之高阁，要落到实处。

Jìhuà bù néng shùzhīgāogé, yào luò dào shíchù.

A plan shouldn't be shelved — it has to be put into practice.

Tips

history

From 《晋书·庾翼传》 (Tang dynasty compilation of Jin history): 此辈宜束之高阁，俟天下太平，然后议其任耳 — a general dismisses certain scholars, saying they should be 'tied up and put on a high shelf until peace returns.' The original target was people; modern usage is almost always of ideas, proposals, or objects.

usage

Usually negative — implies neglect, procrastination, or indifference. Common contexts: shelved proposals, unread books, forgotten skills, abandoned plans. Often in 把…束之高阁 or 被束之高阁.

Stroke Order

束 shù

之 zhī

高 gāo

阁 gé