📖 Meaning
A metaphor for discarding what is complex and elaborate in favor of what is simple, and setting aside flashy ornamentation to value plainness. It describes stripping away unnecessary intricacy, whether in governance, writing, or personal conduct, to restore a natural and unadorned simplicity.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in Sima Qian's Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian), in the Biographies of Harsh Officials, describing the early years of the Western Han dynasty: "After the Han arose, they broke the square-cornered vessel to make it round, and cut away the carving to restore plain wood" (汉兴，破觚而为圜，斫雕而为朴). It contrasts the harsh, elaborate legalism of the Qin dynasty with the simpler and more lenient governance adopted by the early Han rulers. Later writers used it as a general figure for shedding ornamentation and embracing simplicity. Ouyang Xiu of the Northern Song dynasty, for example, applied it in his essay On Jia Yi's Failure to Reach the Rank of Minister to praise Emperor Wen's frugal and plain administration.
💡 Example Usage
新朝初立，破觚斫雕，力除前代浮华之弊。
With the new dynasty just established, the ruler cut away all ornamentation and extravagance, resolutely eliminating the flashy excesses of the previous reign.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 破觚斫雕
- Pinyin: pò gū zhuó diāo
- Literal Translation: break, gū (square-cornered vessel), chop, ornamentation
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4