📖 Meaning
To resign one's official post and withdraw into seclusion. It describes the act of giving up government office and salary to live a reclusive life. The phrase alludes to hanging one's court attire at the imperial Shenwu Gate as a gesture of resignation.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from the story of Tao Hongjing during the Southern Qi dynasty of the Southern Dynasties. Born into poverty, he sought but failed to secure a county magistrate post. In the tenth year of the Yongming reign (around 492), he removed his court robes and hung them on the Shenwu Gate, then submitted a memorial to the throne relinquishing his salary, before retiring to the mountains as a hermit and scholar of Daoism. The story is recorded in the 'Biographies of Hermits' section of the 'History of the Southern Dynasties' (Nan Shi).
💡 Example Usage
功成名就之后，他选择神武挂冠，归隐山林。
After achieving fame and success, he chose to resign his post and withdraw to the mountains.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 神武挂冠
- Pinyin: shén wǔ guà guàn
- Literal Translation: divine martial, hang, cap
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4