割席分坐 — “Cut the mat and sit separately”
割席分坐 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to sever ties or break off friendly relations with someone due to irreconcilable differences, often indicating a complete separation or discontinuation of association”. Literally, “Cut the mat and sit separately”.
割席分坐 Pronunciation and Pinyin
割席分坐 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 割席分坐
Origin and Story of 割席分坐
During the late Han Dynasty, two scholars, Guan Ning and Hua Xin, were very close friends who studied together since childhood.
However, their personalities were vastly different. Guan Ning was diligent in his studies and had no desire for wealth or fame, while Hua Xin was rather frivolous and admired glory and riches.
As time went on, Guan Ning grew to dislike Hua Xin's superficiality and pursuit of worldly possessions.
One day, when they were studying, a high-ranking official's carriage passed by, and Hua Xin immediately stopped reading to watch it, showing great admiration. Guan Ning, however, remained focused on his book.
Disgusted by Hua Xin's covetousness, Guan Ning took a knife and cut the mat they shared into two halves, separating their sitting places. From that day forward, they broke off their friendship, signifying their complete dissociation.
Idioms Related to 割席分坐
Synonyms of 割席分坐
More idioms starting with 割
- gē割dì地qiú求hé和cede land for peace
- gē割dì地chēng称chén臣cede land and become a vassal
- gē割ēn恩duàn断yì义renounce benefactor and betray trust
- gē割jù据yī一fāng方dominate a region independently
- gē割ròu肉bǔ补chuāng疮Desperate short-sighted measure creating worse problems
- gē割ròu肉sì饲hǔ虎make futile sacrifices to insatiable greed
- gē割dù肚qiān牵cháng肠deeply worried or anxious
- gē割gǔ股zhī之xīn心Utmost dedication and self-sacrifice
- gē割gǔ股liǎo疗qīn亲cut own flesh to heal parent
- gē割bì臂zhī之méng盟secret lovers' blood oath
- gē割bì臂méng盟gōng公make a solemn pledge or secret engagement
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Open the tool →Questions about 割席分坐
What does 割席分坐 mean?
割席分坐 (gē xí fēn zuò) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to sever ties or break off friendly relations with someone due to irreconcilable differences, often indicating a complete separation or discontinuation of association”.
How do you pronounce 割席分坐?
割席分坐 is pronounced gē xí fēn zuò in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 割席分坐 literally mean?
Literally, 割席分坐 means “Cut the mat and sit separately”. It is used to mean “to sever ties or break off friendly relations with someone due to irreconcilable differences, often indicating a complete separation or discontinuation of association”.
Where does 割席分坐 come from?
割席分坐 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 割席分坐?
席：坐席。把席割断，分开坐。比喻朋友绝交。