投笔从戎

Traditional: 投筆從戎

tóu bǐ cóng róng

Dictionary entry

to lay down the pen and take up the sword (idiom)

What does 投笔从戎 mean?

投笔从戎 (tóu bǐ cóng róng) has the following dictionary meaning.

1to lay down the pen and take up the sword (idiom)

2to join the military (esp. of educated person)

Character breakdown

Open each character to see its own meanings and vocabulary links.

投tóuto throw (sth in a specific direction: ball, javelin, grenade etc) · to cast (a ballot)笔bǐwriting brush; writing implement (pen, pencil etc) (CL:支[zhi1],枝[zhi1]) · brushstroke; stroke (in painting or calligraphy)从cóngvariant of 從|从[cong2]戎Róngsurname Rong

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 投笔从戎

投笔从戎

tóu bǐ cóng róng

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.