Chinese idiom · 成语
倒戈卸甲
Meaning
To reverse spears and shed armor; to surrender or defect.
Character by character
Origin and story
Historical fictionChapter 62 of Sanguo Yanyi describes Liu Bei setting up a flag offering protection to surrendering troops. His order says that soldiers from Sichuan who reverse their weapons and remove their armor must not be killed, and anyone harming them will pay with his life. The phrase depicts surrender or a change of allegiance within the novel's military narrative.
戈 is an ancient pole weapon; turning it away from one's previous target suggests abandoning the old side, while removing armor ends resistance. This is a literary attestation rather than proof that the wording originated with the historical Liu Bei. Figurative use can describe suddenly giving up one's opposition.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
辩论才开始，他就倒戈卸甲，转而支持对方的方案。
The debate had barely begun when he gave up his position and switched to supporting the other proposal.
A dramatic, sometimes humorous military metaphor for surrendering a position.