📖 Meaning
To lay down arms and cease military preparations; to put an end to warfare. It describes a state or policy of demilitarization and peace after conflict has concluded.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the work 'Yinju Tongyi' (《隐居通议》) by the Yuan dynasty scholar Liu Xun. In the section on classics and history, Liu remarks that expressions such as 'yan ge dao ge' (laying down armor and halberds) and 'gui ma fang niu' (returning warhorses and releasing draft oxen) refer to events following King Wu of Zhou's overthrow of the Shang dynasty, when weapons were sheathed and peace restored. He questions why such imagery of demobilization would be invoked during the Chu-Han contention, when Xiang Yu and Liu Bang's armies were still actively clashing, pointing out the historical inappropriateness of the allusion.
💡 Example Usage
天下既定，朝廷偃革倒戈，与民休息。
With the realm now unified, the court laid down its arms and ceased military preparations, giving the people a chance to rest and recover.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 偃革倒戈
- Pinyin: yǎn gé dǎo gē
- Literal Translation: lay down armor, invert halberds
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4