To signal a temporary cessation of an activity or battle; metaphorically, to call a halt or end something for the time being, often implying a strategic withdrawal or pause.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Story:
In ancient times, armies on the march or in battle relied heavily on 'gongs' (金) and 'drums' (鼓).
Drums were beaten to signal movement and attack, a command known as '鳴鼓而攻' (ming gu er gong, beating drums to attack).
Conversely, gongs (or similar percussion instruments) were struck to command troops to stop or retreat, hence '鳴金收兵' (ming jin shou bing, striking gongs to withdraw troops).
This practice of beating drums to attack and striking gongs to retreat was widely adopted across various dynasties.
By the Ming Dynasty, there were even times when both gongs and drums were sounded simultaneously.