📖 Meaning
To flee in panic and confusion. It describes a situation where someone escapes hurriedly and frantically, often under sudden threat or danger. The phrase conveys a sense of disorderly retreat with no time for preparation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a poem titled 'Po Zi Ling' (破阵子) by Li Yu (李煜), the last ruler of the Southern Tang dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. After the Song dynasty conquered his kingdom, Li Yu was forced to leave his palace and ancestral temple. The poem's line '最是仓皇离庙日' captures the moment he fled the temple in panic, while the court musicians played farewell songs. This poignant scene immortalized the idiom as a symbol of desperate, humiliating escape from a fallen domain.
💡 Example Usage
敌军攻入城中，百姓们仓皇出逃。
When the enemy troops stormed into the city, the common people fled in panic.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 仓皇出逃
- Pinyin: cāng huáng chū táo
- Literal Translation: panic, fluster, flee, escape
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4