肉袒负荆 — “To make a humble and sincere apology”

肉袒负荆 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a humble and sincere apology”. Offering oneself for punishment as a token of deep remorse and willingness to accept consequences. Literally, “Bare-chested, carrying a thorn bush”.

Frequency

肉袒负荆 Pronunciation and Pinyin

肉袒负荆 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
肉	ròu	6	flesh, meat, or pulp
袒	tǎn	10	bare upper body or favor
负	fù	6	bear, lose, negative, betray
荆	jīng	9	thorny shrub, humble apology

Example Sentence with 肉袒负荆

小王意识到自己错了，主动向受影响的同事肉袒负荆，请求原谅并承担责任。

Realizing his mistake, Xiao Wang voluntarily made a humble apology to his affected colleagues, asking for forgiveness and accepting responsibility.

Origin and Story of 肉袒负荆

During the Warring States period, there were two prominent ministers in the State of Zhao: Lin Xiangru and Lian Po. Lin Xiangru had repeatedly made great contributions, so the King of Zhao appointed him as Prime Minister.

Lian Po was dissatisfied, believing his military achievements far surpassed Lin Xiangru's diplomatic skills. However, Lin Xiangru, for the sake of the country, consistently avoided confrontation with Lian Po.

When Lian Po eventually understood Lin Xiangru's profound intentions, he felt deeply ashamed. He then stripped off his upper garment, carried a thorn bush on his back, and personally went to Lin Xiangru to apologize and beg for punishment.