马革裹尸
- Literal
- to wrap the corpse in horsehide
- Figurative
- To die honorably on the battlefield, giving one's life for one's country; said of a soldier ready to fall fighting rather than die at home in bed.
Where does 马革裹尸 come from?
General Ma Yuan, a renowned Eastern Han commander known as the "Wave-Subduing General" (Fubo jiangjun), declared that a true man should die at the frontier and be brought home with his body wrapped in horsehide for burial, rather than end up bedridden in the care of women and children. Already old, he begged Emperor Guangwu to let him march once more against a rebellion of the Wuling tribes, and to prove he was still fit he donned his armor and mounted his horse right there before the court. He set out but was held up at Mount Hutou and died of illness while on active campaign, fulfilling his vow. The idiom comes from this passage in the "Book of the Later Han."
Source (出处): 《后汉书·马援传》
How is 马革裹尸 used? Two examples
- 真正的军人有马革裹尸的觉悟，从不畏惧战场上的牺牲。
A true soldier is ready to die honorably in battle and never fears the sacrifice the battlefield demands.
- 他立志报国，宁愿马革裹尸，也不愿苟且偷生。
Determined to serve his country, he would rather die honorably on the battlefield than cling to life in disgrace.
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