割须弃袍 — “To flee in utter defeat and disgrace”
割须弃袍 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to flee in utter defeat and disgrace”. Often implying a desperate and humiliating escape where one sacrifices appearance for survival. Literally, “Cut beard, abandon robe”.
割须弃袍 Pronunciation and Pinyin
割须弃袍 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 割须弃袍
Origin and Story of 割须弃袍
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao dispatched general Zhong Yao to attack Shu, but he failed.
Cao Cao then sent Cao Hong and Xu Huang to guard Tongguan Pass. However, in just nine days, Cao Hong lost the pass.
Cao Cao personally led his army to attack Tongguan, only to suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of Ma Chao.
To save his life, Cao Cao cut off his beard and cast aside his battle robe, disguising himself to flee back to his main camp.
Idioms Related to 割须弃袍
Synonyms of 割须弃袍
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xí席fēn分zuò坐Sever ties with a friend
- gē割xí席duàn断jiāo交sever ties with a friend
- 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
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Open the tool →Questions about 割须弃袍
What does 割须弃袍 mean?
割须弃袍 (gē xū qì páo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to flee in utter defeat and disgrace”.
How do you pronounce 割须弃袍?
割须弃袍 is pronounced gē xū qì páo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 割须弃袍 literally mean?
Literally, 割须弃袍 means “Cut beard, abandon robe”. It is used to mean “to flee in utter defeat and disgrace”.
Where does 割须弃袍 come from?
割须弃袍 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 割须弃袍?
割掉胡须，丢掉外袍。形容战败落魄的样子。