死不旋踵 — “To face death without retreat”
死不旋踵 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to face death without retreat”. To advance with unwavering resolve, never turning back; to be utterly determined even unto death. Literally, “To die without turning back one's heel”.
死不旋踵 Pronunciation and Pinyin
死不旋踵 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 死不旋踵
Origin and Story of 死不旋踵
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, in Emperor Huan's era, eunuchs wielded great power, leading to intense conflicts with the aristocratic bureaucratic class.
When Li Ying, a distinguished member of an influential family, served as Sili Xiaowei (Inspector of the Capital Region), Zhang Shuo, the brother of the chief eunuch Zhang Rang, was the magistrate of Yewang County (present-day Qinyang County, Henan Province). Zhang Shuo was corrupt, oppressed the people, and even brutally killed pregnant women.
Fearing Li Ying's punishment, Zhang Shuo fled to Zhang Rang's house and hid inside a hollow roof pillar. Li Ying, upon learning this, personally led his soldiers, stormed into Zhang Rang's residence, broke open the pillar, captured Zhang Shuo, and executed him on the spot.
Zhang Rang reported this to Emperor Huan, who summoned Li Ying and questioned why he had executed Zhang Shuo without prior imperial approval. Li Ying replied, "I have been in office for ten days now. I feared the fault of accumulating pending cases, and unexpectedly, I am now accused of acting too quickly. I know I am guilty, and my death is imminent, but I am not afraid (the original text says '诚自知衅责，死不旋踵'). I merely request a five-day reprieve to punish the remaining evildoers and complete my duties before accepting my sentence."
Emperor Huan listened, then turned to Zhang Rang and said, "This was your brother's deserved fate; what fault does the Sili Xiaowei have?"
Idioms Related to 死不旋踵
More idioms starting with 死
- sǐ死bù不huí回tóu头stubbornly refuse to change
- sǐ死bù不kāi开kǒu口refuse to speak or reveal information
- sǐ死bù不huǐ悔gǎi改stubbornly refuse to repent
- sǐ死bù不gǎi改huǐ悔unrepentant until death
- sǐ死bù不sǐ死，，huó活bù不huó活caught in an agonizing dilemma
- sǐ死bù不gān甘xīn心unwilling to accept defeat until death
- sǐ死bù不míng瞑mù目die with everlasting regret
- sǐ死bù不yào要liǎn脸utterly shameless
- sǐ死bù不zú足xī惜death not worth regretting
- sǐ死bù不bì闭mù目die with unfulfilled wishes
- sǐ死qiě且bù不xiǔ朽to be remembered forever
- sǐ死zhōng中qiú求huó活seek life from within death
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Open the tool →Questions about 死不旋踵
What does 死不旋踵 mean?
死不旋踵 (sǐ bù xuán zhǒng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to face death without retreat”.
How do you pronounce 死不旋踵?
死不旋踵 is pronounced sǐ bù xuán zhǒng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 死不旋踵 literally mean?
Literally, 死不旋踵 means “to die without turning back one's heel”. It is used to mean “to face death without retreat”.
Where does 死不旋踵 come from?
死不旋踵 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 死不旋踵?
旋踵：旋转足跟，即后退。比喻不畏艰险，坚决向前。亦比喻极短时间内即死去。