📖 Meaning
Literally meaning one's horse's head wishes to turn east, this idiom refers to heading eastward to return home. It describes the act of turning back or going home, especially after being away.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传·襄公十四年), a Spring and Autumn period historical text. During a military campaign, the Jin general Luan Yan (栾黡) disagreed with the state's orders and declared that he would turn his horse eastward to return home, saying 'The commands of Jin state have never been like this; my horse's head wishes to go east.' The scholar Yang Bojun later annotated that since the Qin army was stationed in the west, heading east meant returning to Jin. Over time the phrase became an idiom for going back or returning home.
💡 Example Usage
游子在外多年，今日终于马首欲东，踏上归途。
After years away from home, the traveler finally turned his horse eastward and set out on the journey back.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 马首欲东
- Pinyin: mǎ shǒu yù dōng
- Literal Translation: horse, head, desire, east
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4