悬首吴阙 — “Hang head at Wu gates”
悬首吴阙 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a defiant and prophetic last stand, often referring to a martyr's ultimate sacrifice and tragic foresight; to predict one's own country's downfall with defiant sorrow”. Literally, “Hang head at Wu gates”.
悬首吴阙 Pronunciation and Pinyin
悬首吴阙 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 悬首吴阙
Origin and Story of 悬首吴阙
During the Spring and Autumn period, Wu Zixu (伍员), a high official of the State of Wu, advised King Fuchai against accepting a peace overture from the State of Yue.
However, King Fuchai, swayed by slander, bestowed a sword upon Wu Zixu, ordering him to take his own life.
Before his death, Wu Zixu famously declared, "Dig out my eyes and place them on the eastern gate of the capital of Wu, so I can witness the future destruction of Wu by Yue."
Not long after, Wu was indeed conquered and annihilated by Yue.
Idioms Related to 悬首吴阙
Synonyms of 悬首吴阙
More idioms starting with 悬
- xuán悬wèi为lì厉jìn禁publicly and strictly prohibit
- xuán悬bīng兵shù束mǎ马extremely rugged and perilous terrain
- xuán悬jūn军shēn深rù入isolated army deep penetration
- xuán悬jiàn剑kōng空lǒng垄Keep a promise to a deceased friend
- xuán悬pǔ圃péng蓬lái莱mythical fairyland
- xuán悬hú壶yú于shì市practice medicine in the marketplace
- xuán悬hú壶wèn问shì世start a medical practice
- xuán悬tóu头cì刺gǔ股study diligently with great perseverance
- xuán悬tóu头cì刺gǔ骨study diligently with extreme self-discipline
- xuán悬yá崕qiào峭bì壁steep, sheer cliffs
- xuán悬yá崖lè勒mǎ马pull back from the brink
- xuán悬yá崖qiào峭bì壁sheer cliffs and precipices
Recommended tools
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →Questions about 悬首吴阙
What does 悬首吴阙 mean?
悬首吴阙 (xuán shǒu wú què) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a defiant and prophetic last stand, often referring to a martyr's ultimate sacrifice and tragic foresight; to predict one's own country's downfall with defiant sorrow”.
How do you pronounce 悬首吴阙?
悬首吴阙 is pronounced xuán shǒu wú què in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 悬首吴阙 literally mean?
Literally, 悬首吴阙 means “Hang head at Wu gates”. It is used to mean “to make a defiant and prophetic last stand, often referring to a martyr's ultimate sacrifice and tragic foresight; to predict one's own country's downfall with defiant sorrow”.
Where does 悬首吴阙 come from?
悬首吴阙 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 悬首吴阙?
犹言悬门抉目。以之为烈士殉国的典故。