📖 Meaning
To fling one's sleeves and rise to one's feet, describing a sudden surge of spirit and immediate decisive action. It conveys a person rousing themselves energetically to respond to a situation without hesitation.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传), Chronicle of Duke Xuan, Year 14, during the Spring and Autumn period. King Zhuang of Chu sent his envoy Shen Zhou on a diplomatic mission to the state of Qi, passing through Song territory. The ruler of Song, regarding Shen Zhou as a long-standing enemy, killed him. When King Zhuang heard the news, he was so enraged that he flung his sleeves and leapt up on the spot, immediately resolving to wage war on Song. This vivid image of spirited resolve became the idiom for rousing oneself to swift action.
💡 Example Usage
听闻国难当头，将军投袂而起，连夜率军奔赴前线。
Hearing that the nation was in peril, the general flung his sleeves and rose to action, leading his troops to the front lines overnight.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 投袂而起
- Pinyin: tóu mèi ér qǐ
- Literal Translation: fling, sleeve, and, rise
- Category: Determination
- Characters: 4