







挂冠而归 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to resign from one's official post and return to a secluded or private life; to retire from public service and live in reclusion”. Literally, “Hang up one's cap and return”.
During the late Western Han Dynasty, Wang Yu, son of the powerful official Wang Mang, was concerned about his father's actions creating numerous enemies. He bravely offered a remonstrance, but Wang Mang, prioritizing his perceived duty over family ties, had him executed.
Observing this, Feng Meng understood Wang Mang's true nature and concluded that such a ruler was unworthy of loyalty. Consequently, he took off his official's cap, hung it outside the East Gate of the capital, and quietly departed the city, taking his family to Liaodong.
Not long after, Wang Mang committed suicide, leading to the collapse of his Xin Dynasty.

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Open the tool →挂冠而归 (guà guān ér guī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to resign from one's official post and return to a secluded or private life; to retire from public service and live in reclusion”.
挂冠而归 is pronounced guà guān ér guī in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 挂冠而归 means “Hang up one's cap and return”. It is used to mean “to resign from one's official post and return to a secluded or private life; to retire from public service and live in reclusion”.
挂冠而归 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
挂冠:把官帽挂起来。脱下官帽随即离去。比喻辞官归隐