汗牛充栋

Pronunciation: hàn niú chōng dòng Literal meaning: Oxen sweat, rafters fill

Origin & Usage

Books enough that the ox hauling them sweats (汗牛) and the house is filled to the rafters (充栋). Liu Zongyuan coined it in a memorial inscription, complaining about the sheer volume of commentary that had accumulated on a single classic — so the phrase began as a complaint, not a compliment. That edge is largely gone. Any enormous body of writing will do now, though a careful writer can still let the original exasperation show through.

Examples

English: "The professor's research publications filled entire library shelves"

Chinese: 教授的研究著作充满了整个图书馆的书架