- 读书人 dúshūrén scholara person who has read many books, such as an intellectual or student
- 读书会 dúshūhuì book clubA group of people who meet regularly to discuss books they have read; study group
- 死读书 sǐdúshū to study mechanicallyto study mechanically or learn by rote; to be a bookworm who memorizes facts without fully understanding or applying them
- 读书破万卷 dúshūpòwànjuàn well-readto have read ten thousand books; describes someone who is extremely well-read and has studied extensively
- 读书种子 dúshūzhǒngzǐ continuity of scholarly traditionA person from a family of scholars or a talented individual who carries on the tradition of learning; the intellectual descendants of a culture.
- 折节读书 zhéjiédúshū to suddenly take up studyingto start reading and studying furiously, contrary to one's previous habits
- 映雪读书 yìngxuědúshū to study by the light of reflected snowTo study diligently despite living in poverty; refers to the story of Sun Kang from the Jin Dynasty who used the reflection of snow at night to read because he was too poor to afford lamp oil
- 读书三到 dúshūsāndào the three rules of readingA traditional method for reading and studying that involves focusing the eyes, the mouth, and the mind; originally described by the philosopher Zhu Xi
- 读书明理 dúshūmínglǐ educated and sensibleto be knowledgeable and understand the principles of things through study; to be an educated and reasonable person
- 读书机 dúshūjī reading machinean electronic device that reads books aloud, often used as an educational tool for children or an aid for the visually impaired
- 映月读书 yìngyuèdúshū to study by moonlightTo study hard despite poverty; based on the story of Jiang Mi who, being too poor to afford lamps, used the light of the moon to read at night.
- 郡斋读书志 jùnzhāidúshūzhì Junzhai DushuzhiJunzhai Bibliography, a major bibliographic work compiled by Chao Gongwu during the Southern Song dynasty