







管宁割席 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to sever ties with a friend due to fundamental differences in character, values, or principles; to cut off a friendship decisively”. Literally, “Guan Ning cuts the mat”.
During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Guan Ning and Hua Xin, both scholars, studied together since childhood and were very close friends.
However, their personalities differed greatly. Guan Ning was diligent in his studies and did not covet wealth and status, while Hua Xin was rather frivolous and yearned for glory and riches.
Gradually, Guan Ning grew to dislike him. He then cut the mat they shared into two halves, sitting separately. From then on, their friendship was completely severed.

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Open the tool →管宁割席 (guǎn níng gē xí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to sever ties with a friend due to fundamental differences in character, values, or principles; to cut off a friendship decisively”.
管宁割席 is pronounced guǎn níng gē xí in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 管宁割席 means “Guan Ning cuts the mat”. It is used to mean “to sever ties with a friend due to fundamental differences in character, values, or principles; to cut off a friendship decisively”.
管宁割席 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
管宁:人名;席:坐卧用的编织物。比喻朋友间的情谊一刀两断,中止交往。