📖 Meaning
Literally to shut the passes and defend oneself. It describes cutting off contact with the outside world and refusing to engage with external affairs. Metaphorically it criticizes a conservative, isolationist attitude that resists new ideas and developments.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom appears in the Song-dynasty work "New Annotated History of the Five Dynasties" (新编五代史平话), in the section on the Zhou dynasty. The original passage argues that when at peace the people should cultivate land to build military reserves, and when at war they should practice archery—such resources being the foundation of a hegemon. With these in place, one could shut the passes and defend oneself without worry. Over time the phrase shifted from describing prudent self-sufficiency to criticizing stubborn isolationism that rejects external exchange.
💡 Example Usage
在全球化时代，任何国家都不能闭关自守，否则必将落后于世界。
In the era of globalization, no country can shut itself off from the outside world, or it will inevitably fall behind.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 闭关自守
- Pinyin: bì guān zì shǒu
- Literal Translation: close, pass, self, guard
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4