割须换袍 — “Cut beard, change robe”
割须换袍 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to cut off one's beard and discard one's battle robe to escape after a defeat; to make a desperate and ignominious retreat, often involving a disguise to evade capture”. Literally, “Cut beard, change robe”.
割须换袍 Pronunciation and Pinyin
割须换袍 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 割须换袍
Origin and Story of 割须换袍
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao dispatched his general Zhong Yao to attack Shu, but Zhong Yao failed and retreated to Tong Pass.
Cao Cao then sent Cao Hong and Xu Huang to defend Tong Pass, but Cao Hong lost it within nine days.
Cao Cao personally led his army to attack Tong Pass, only to suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of Ma Chao.
To save his life and escape, Cao Cao desperately cut off his distinctive beard and threw away his battle robe, disguising himself to flee back to his main camp and evade capture.
Idioms Related to 割须换袍
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 割须换袍
What does 割须换袍 mean?
割须换袍 (gē xū huàn páo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to cut off one's beard and discard one's battle robe to escape after a defeat; to make a desperate and ignominious retreat, often involving a disguise to evade capture”.
How do you pronounce 割须换袍?
割须换袍 is pronounced gē xū huàn páo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 割须换袍 literally mean?
Literally, 割须换袍 means “Cut beard, change robe”. It is used to mean “to cut off one's beard and discard one's battle robe to escape after a defeat; to make a desperate and ignominious retreat, often involving a disguise to evade capture”.
Where does 割须换袍 come from?
割须换袍 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 割须换袍?
须：胡须。形容打了败仗狼狈逃跑