📖 Meaning
To face death as calmly as returning home. It describes someone who is fearless in the face of death and willing to sacrifice their life without hesitation. The idiom conveys supreme courage and unwavering resolve.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase first appears in the Han Feizi (《韩非子·外储说左下》), a Legalist text from the late Warring States period compiled by the philosopher Han Fei. It quotes a minister comparing himself to the noble lord Gongzi Chengfu, who could inspire soldiers to regard death as going home. The idiom also appears in the Lüshi Chunqiu (《吕氏春秋·勿躬》), a compendium sponsored by Lü Buwei during the Qin dynasty, which similarly praises troops who faced death without fear. Both sources use the metaphor to extol extraordinary martial valor.
💡 Example Usage
战士们视死如归，在战场上英勇杀敌。
The soldiers faced death as if returning home, fighting valiantly on the battlefield.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 视死如归
- Pinyin: shì sǐ rú guī
- Literal Translation: view, death, as, return home
- Category: Determination
- Characters: 4