恋恋不舍

Pronunciation: liàn liàn bù shě Literal meaning: Attached and unwilling to part

Origin & Usage

恋 is love that clings, the character in 恋人 and 留恋; doubled and set against 不舍, unwilling (不) to let go (舍), the phrase gives a reluctance rooted in attachment rather than in habit. That is what separates it from 依依不舍, which reports the same scene from outside as a hesitation of the body. Here the cause is named. Leaving a house one has lived in, a job one liked, a place one was happy in — the object is as often a situation as a person.

Examples

English: "She kept looking back as she left her childhood home."

Chinese: 离开童年的家时，她恋恋不舍地频频回望。