📖 Meaning
To bare one's upper body and have one's hands bound behind the back while facing the victor, showing readiness to accept punishment and abandonment of all resistance. It describes the humblest, most complete form of surrender and submission. Figuratively, it means to capitulate and submit obediently.
📜 Origin Story
According to the 'Hereditary House of Weizi of Song' in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian (《史记·宋微子世家》), after King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty around 1046 BC, Weizi, the elder half-brother of the deposed tyrant King Zhou, carried his ancestral ritual vessels to King Wu's military camp. He bared his upper body, bound his own hands behind his back, led a sheep with his left hand, and held a bundle of thatch with his right hand — symbols of submission and offering — then knelt and crawled forward to surrender. Impressed by his sincerity and humility, King Wu released him and restored his rank, later enfeoffing him in the state of Song, which became a major feudal state of the Zhou dynasty.
💡 Example Usage
战败后，敌将肉袒面缚，亲赴我军阵前请降。
After the defeat, the enemy general bared his chest and bound his own hands, personally coming to the front of our camp to beg for surrender.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 肉袒面缚
- Pinyin: ròu tǎn miàn fù
- Literal Translation: bare the flesh, bind the hands, face the victor
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4