Chinese idiom · 成语
掌上明珠
Meaning
A pearl in the palm; a deeply cherished person, especially a beloved daughter.
Character by character
Origin and story
Poetic expressionThe Ministry of Education traces this image to a Short Song by the Jin-dynasty writer Fu Xuan. Its speaker is an abandoned woman remembering how her beloved once treasured her like a pearl held in his palm, then discarded her as though throwing her into a ditch. The earlier wording is 掌中珠, 'pearl in the palm.'
Later poems and fiction use 掌上明珠 for someone or something especially cherished. Yuan Haowen applies it to the birth of a child, while Dream of the Red Chamber uses it for Lin Daiyu's parents' love for their daughter. Today a beloved daughter is its most familiar reference, although the underlying image is broader than that.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
小女儿是爸爸的掌上明珠，她画的每张画，他都舍不得丢。
His little daughter is the apple of his eye; he cannot bear to throw away any of her drawings.
Affectionate language for a deeply cherished child, especially a daughter.