Lü Meng, a great general of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period, was born into poverty. As a youth, he crossed the Yangtze River with his mother to live with his brother-in-law Deng Dang, a warrior under Sun Ce. At fifteen or sixteen, Lü Meng secretly followed Deng Dang into battle, catching Sun Ce's eye and earning his favor. After Sun Ce's death, Lü Meng served under Sun Quan, achieving repeated military successes.
Lü Meng was a capable military commander, but because his family was poor, he had little education and few characters. When reporting military matters to Sun Quan, he could only speak them aloud. His courage in battle was undeniable, but his lack of strategy often showed. Sun Quan advised him, "You hold an important position now, so you must study to improve yourself." Lü Meng replied, "I'm too busy with military affairs to find time for books." Sun Quan pressed, "Am I busier than you? I still read histories and military texts, and it has greatly helped me. How can you neglect learning?" Lü Meng then began to study diligently, eventually impressing even the scholar Lu Su, who remarked, "You are no longer the same Lü Meng I once knew." Lü Meng responded, "A man who has been apart for three days should be looked at with new eyes." This story reminds us that even the busiest can grow through learning, and that true talent is never static. Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, "Biography of Lü Meng"
Once, Sun Quan instructed Lü Meng, "Now that you are in charge of military affairs and leading troops in battle, relying solely on courage is not enough to shoulder such heavy responsibilities. You should read more books to improve your cultural knowledge—as they say, reading is always beneficial."
Lu Meng felt troubled and said, "Official duties keep me so busy—how could I possibly find time to read?"
Sun Quan disagreed and criticized him, saying, "I'm not asking you to study the classics and become a great scholar. I want you to read widely and broaden your horizons. In the past, I only read books that interested me, like the *Book of Songs*, the *Book of Documents*, and the *Book of Rites*. But since taking charge of state affairs, despite being extremely busy, I've still made time to study history and military texts, and I feel I've gained a lot. Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, even amidst the chaos of war, never let a day pass without a book in hand. And Cao Cao today says he loves learning even in his old age. How can you use lack of time as an excuse not to study well?"
Sun Quan patiently gave him specific guidance: "You can start by reading *Sunzi*, *Six Strategies*, *Zuo's Commentary*, and *Guoyu*—these books will be useful in practice. You're young and intelligent; reading more will surely benefit you."
Deeply moved by these words, Lü Meng devoted himself to study from then on. No matter how busy or intense his duties became, he always made time to read, holding his books as tirelessly as the ancients—a man utterly transformed from his former self.
Later, Lu Meng became the chief general of the Kingdom of Wu. With both courage and strategy, he achieved remarkable military exploits.
The idiom "Hand Never Leaves the Book" means never putting down a book, describing someone who is diligent and obsessed with reading.
Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, "Biography of Lü Meng"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "手不释卷" came to describe how someone is diligent and obsessed with reading.