To abandon one's carriage and kill one's horse; a metaphor for a firm resolve to withdraw from official life and live as a recluse, emphasizing a complete severance from worldly ambitions.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Synonym:
Story:
During the Han Dynasty, Feng Liang, at the age of 30, served as a subordinate officer. He detested being commanded by others in his official capacity.
One day, he was ordered to welcome a supervising inspector. Along the journey, he was filled with profound emotions. Due to the poor road conditions, his carriage broke down. He simply abandoned his broken carriage, even killed his horse, and then removed his official robes.
From that point on, he withdrew from public life, settling in Jianwei to study under Du Fu, living the life of a recluse.