📖 Meaning
To take off one's armor and return to farming. It refers to a soldier retiring from military service and going back home to live a civilian life. The phrase conveys the idea of leaving the battlefield behind for a peaceful existence in the countryside.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Gao Yang's historical novel 'Qing Gong Wai Shi' (A History of the Qing Palace), where the author describes veteran generals who, after retiring from military service, returned home to build grand gardens, acquire concubines, and enjoy their later years. Gao Yang was a prolific Taiwanese historical novelist of the twentieth century known for his vivid depictions of Qing dynasty court life. While the expression itself is rooted in the longstanding tradition of soldiers returning to civilian life after war, Gao Yang's usage helped popularize it in modern Chinese literature.
💡 Example Usage
老将军征战多年，终于解甲归田，过上了平静的田园生活。
After years of campaigning, the old general finally hung up his armor and returned to the countryside to live a peaceful farming life.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 解甲归田
- Pinyin: jiě jiǎ guī tián
- Literal Translation: take off, armor, return, fields
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4