📖 Meaning
Red-lacquered shields and jade-adorned axes, originally used as ritual vessels in ancient China. Later, they came to symbolize authority and were employed as ceremonial regalia in imperial processions and court rituals.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the "Book of Rites" (《礼记》), chapter "Ming Tang Wei" (明堂位), a Confucian classic compiled during the Western Han dynasty. It describes how King Wu of Zhou, the founder of the Zhou dynasty, performed the grand martial dance "Da Wu" (《大武》) while wearing a ceremonial crown and holding these ritual implements. The passage records: "With vermilion shields and jade axes, wearing the ceremonial cap, he danced the Da Wu."
💡 Example Usage
朱干玉戚列于殿前，仪仗威严。
The vermilion shields and jade axes were arrayed before the hall, their ceremonial guard imposing and solemn.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 朱干玉戚
- Pinyin: zhū gān yù qī
- Literal Translation: vermilion shield, jade axe
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4