📖 Meaning
A metaphor for pursuing unattained gains at the cost of one's own life. It warns against chasing worldly rewards that ultimately destroy the very person seeking them. The idiom underscores the Daoist principle that one's life is more precious than any possession or dominion.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces to 《文子·上义》, a Daoist text from the Warring States period traditionally attributed to Xin Jiao (辛钘), a disciple of Laozi. The original passage states that if someone were to grasp the map of all under heaven with the left hand while slitting one's own throat with the right, even a fool would refuse—because one's body is more precious than the whole world. Through this striking image, the text counsels rulers and seekers alike against sacrificing life for ambition or material conquest.
💡 Example Usage
为了眼前的一点小利而据图刎首，实在是得不偿失。
To throw away one's life for a trifling gain in front of one's eyes is truly a losing bargain.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 据图刎首
- Pinyin: jù tú wěn shǒu
- Literal Translation: grasp, map, slit, neck
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4