📖 Meaning
To have survived the blades and arrows of war. It describes someone who escaped death in battle or lived through the devastation of armed conflict. The phrase conveys the preciousness of life preserved amidst slaughter.
📜 Origin Story
The term draws on classical usage where 锋镝 (blades and arrowheads) serves as metonymy for the weapons of war, notably appearing in Jia Yi's Han dynasty essay 'On the Faults of Qin' (过秦论), which describes Qin melting down weapons to eliminate the threat of rebellion. Combined with 余生 (remaining life), the phrase characterizes those who endured the carnage of warfare and emerged alive. No single canonical source is cited for the full four-character expression; it is a later compound built from these classical elements.
💡 Example Usage
老人锋镝余生，对和平年代格外珍惜。
Having survived the ravages of war, the old man cherishes the era of peace all the more.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 锋镝余生
- Pinyin: fēng dí yú shēng
- Literal Translation: blade, arrowhead, remaining, life
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4