📖 Meaning
Describes a hatred so deep and irreconcilable that one is only satisfied by taking the enemy's head. The character 贸 is a loan character (通假) for 牟, meaning to seek or pursue. It signifies a blood feud where nothing short of the opponent's death can resolve the grievance.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Warring States period text 'Strategies of the Warring States' (《战国策》), specifically the 'Chu Ce II' (《楚策二》) chapter. It describes the bitter enmity between rival states during that era, where diplomatic overtures were futile because the hatred had reached a point of mutual obsession with destroying the other. The phrase captures the ultimate form of vendetta in ancient Chinese political culture, where taking the adversary's head was the only acceptable resolution.
💡 Example Usage
这两大家族之间有贸首之雠，几代人都无法化解。
There is a blood feud between these two great families, one that generations have been unable to resolve.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 贸首之雠
- Pinyin: mào shǒu zhī chóu
- Literal Translation: seek, head, possessive particle, enmity
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4