掌上明珠

zhǎngshàng-míngzhū

idiom #31,914

Meanings

1 a pearl in the palm
2 a beloved child (esp. a daughter) treasured by the family

Characters

Examples

她是父母的掌上明珠。

Tā shì fùmǔ de zhǎngshàng-míngzhū.

She's the apple of her parents' eye.

这个小女孩是全家的掌上明珠。

Zhège xiǎonǚ hái shì quánjiā de zhǎngshàng-míngzhū.

This little girl is the treasure of the whole family.

他从小被当作掌上明珠宠爱着长大。

Tā cóngxiǎo bèi dàngzuò zhǎngshàng-míngzhū chǒng'ài zhe zhǎngdà.

He grew up cherished like a pearl in the palm from childhood.

Tips

history

From Fu Xuan's Jin-dynasty poem 《短歌行》: '昔君视我，如掌中珠，何意一朝，弃我沟渠' — 'once you saw me as a pearl in the palm, yet one morning you cast me into the ditch.' The original was a lament of betrayed love; it later settled into the modern sense of a beloved daughter.

culture

Default reading is 'beloved daughter' — the classic image is a father holding up his baby girl. It can apply to sons or grandchildren too, but daughter is the prototype.

Stroke Order

掌 zhǎng

上 shàng

明 míng

珠 zhū