📖 Meaning
To let one's ears droop and lower one's head, describing a docile and submissive demeanor. It conveys being completely tamed and obediently taking orders, as a domesticated animal yields to its master. The phrase is used figuratively for someone who submits without resistance to authority.
📜 Origin Story
This expression originates from the essay 'A Discussion of Antiquity: Li Su' by the Song dynasty scholar Chen Liang. In the passage, Chen Liang describes how Li Su, a Tang dynasty general famed for his daring night raid on Caizhou, managed troops in such a way that even when driven into action, they remained with drooping ears and lowered heads, not daring to act on their own. The imagery likens obedient soldiers to tamed beasts, emphasizing absolute submission to command.
💡 Example Usage
面对上司的严厉训斥，他垂耳下首，不敢有半句辩解。
Facing his superior's harsh reprimand, he lowered his head submissively, not daring to utter a single word in self-defense.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 垂耳下首
- Pinyin: chuí ěr xià shǒu
- Literal Translation: hang, ear, lower, head
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4