📖 Meaning
To value honor and righteousness above one's own life. It describes someone who places personal integrity, loyalty, or moral principles above survival, willingly sacrificing themselves for a cause or person they believe in. The term conveys a chivalric spirit common among ancient knights-errant and heroic figures.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to the Three Kingdoms period (Cao Wei dynasty, 220-265 AD), specifically to Cao Zhi's rhapsody 《七启》(Seven Initiations). Cao Zhi (192-232 AD), a prince of Wei and one of the most celebrated poets of the Jian'an era, wrote: '是以雄俊之徒，交党结伦，重气轻命，感分遗身' — describing outstanding men who formed sworn brotherhoods, valued honor above life, and willingly gave their bodies for those with whom they felt a bond of duty. The phrase became a classical expression for the chivalric ideal of placing righteousness over self-preservation.
💡 Example Usage
古代侠客重气轻命，为了承诺不惜牺牲生命。
In ancient times, knights-errant valued honor above their own lives, willingly sacrificing themselves to keep a promise.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 重气轻命
- Pinyin: zhòng qì qīng mìng
- Literal Translation: value, spirit/honor, slight, life
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4