To cling to old and outdated things; to be conservative in thought and unwilling to change or improve.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
During the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xin, the younger son of the famous litterateur Liu Xiang, served as a Cavalry Commandant and Grand Master of Remonstrance with the Rank of Chief Official of the Imperial Carriages under Emperor Ai. He suggested to Emperor Ai that specialists should be appointed to study the "Zuo Zhuan" (Zuo Commentary).
His contemporaries were highly displeased with this proposal. Liu Xin then criticized them for being rigid and "baocanshouque," meaning they were adhering to old conventions and clinging to outdated things.
Consequently, he was collectively ostracized from the capital by his peers and had no alternative but to take on the post of Administrator of Henei Commandery.
This idiom describes someone who stubbornly holds onto old, incomplete, or outworn ideas or methods, signifying a conservative mindset that resists innovation and improvement.