📖 Meaning
Refers to soldiers who have been defeated in battle and scattered, wandering about without organization or leadership. It describes broken military units that have lost cohesion after a rout, often posing a nuisance to civilians as they drift leaderless.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom has no single classical origin text; it arose from the common vocabulary of warfare in modern Chinese. The components draw on long-standing military concepts: 溃兵 (routed soldiers) appears in numerous historical chronicles describing armies that broke apart after defeat, while 游勇 (wandering braves) refers to soldiers separated from their units. The combined form 溃兵游勇 became established in modern usage to depict the chaotic aftermath of a military rout, where stragglers drift through the countryside without command structure.
💡 Example Usage
战败后，溃兵游勇四处流窜，骚扰百姓。
After the defeat, routed soldiers and stragglers scattered in all directions, harassing the common people.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 溃兵游勇
- Pinyin: kuì bīng yóu yǒng
- Literal Translation: routed soldiers, wandering warriors
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4