束之高阁

束之高閣

shùzhī-gāogé

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

HSK 4

买了那么多书，大部分都束之高阁了。

Mǎi le nàme duō shū, dàbùfen dōu shùzhī-gāogé le.

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

HSK 5

这项建议被束之高阁，一直没人提起。

Zhè xiàng jiànyì bèi shùzhī-gāogé, yìzhí méi rén tíqǐ.

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

HSK 7-9

计划不能束之高阁，要落到实处。

Jìhuà bù néng shùzhī-gāogé, yào luòdào 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