📖 Meaning
This idiom alludes to the act of a loyal minister who slit his own throat in devotion to his sovereign. It is used as a classical exemplar of ultimate loyalty and self-sacrifice for one's lord. The phrase commemorates the willingness to die rather than see one's state threatened.
📜 Origin Story
According to the Han dynasty work Shuoyuan (说苑·立节) by Liu Xiang, when the army of Yue advanced to the border of Qi, the loyalist Yongmen Zidi slit his own throat upon hearing the news. The Yue forces, upon learning of this, declared that if the King of Qi had ministers as resolute as Yongmen Zidi, it would mean the end of Yue's own ancestral sacrifices. They consequently withdrew their troops. The King of Qi buried Yongmen with the rites befitting a high minister.
💡 Example Usage
古之忠臣如雍门刎首般为国捐躯，令人敬仰。
Loyal ministers of antiquity sacrificed themselves for their country like Yongmen slitting his throat, commanding our deepest reverence.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 雍门刎首
- Pinyin: yōng mén wěn shǒu
- Literal Translation: Yongmen, slit, neck
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4