投笔从戎
源于《后汉书·班超传》。班超是东汉著名史学家班固的弟弟。公元62年，他的哥哥班固到洛阳去做教书郎，他和母亲也跟随而去。
由于家庭经济非常困难，他只好到府中帮助人们做些抄写工作，用来维持生计。但他认为这样下去实在没有出息。有一天，他正在抄写文书，突然把笔向地上一投， 长叹一口气说：“大丈夫纵然没有其他大志，也应当学习张骞和傅介子，为国家建功立业，怎么能这样长久地耍笔杆子呢！”随后，他就投笔从军去了。
班超投军以后，跟随在大将军窦固的麾下，屡建奇功。他奉命出使西域，克服了种种艰难困苦，为汉朝和好了50多个国家，巩固了汉朝的政权，维护了边疆的安 宁。后被封为定远侯。后来，人们把班超投笔于地、参军作战的故事叫做“投笔从戎”，用来比喻弃文从武，有志报国。
To give up a civilian pursuit to join the army
Now let’s learn a new phrase meaning “to give up a civilian pursuit to join the army.” The idiom reads “tou bi cong rong.” Its literal meaning is “to throw aside the writing brush and join the army.”
In the Eastern Han Dynasty some two millennia ago, Ban Chao was son of a famous historian and scholar. His elder brother was also a distinguished historian. Though good at debating and having read a lot of books, Ban Chao didn’t mind doing manual labor, and didn’t care much about his appearance.
Later, Ban Chao’s elder brother was appointed an official in the capital. Ban Chao, who was 30 at the time, went to the capital with his brother and mother. Because Ban Chao’s family was poor, to make money he had to copy books for the government.
After a while, Ban Chao was fed up with copying characters every day. He felt he wouldn’t accomplish anything in this job. One day, while copying a book, he suddenly threw away his brush and sighed, “Though a man doesn’t have any great talent and bold vision, he should at least go to the Western Regions to make achievements. How can he always put his head among brushes and inkstone?”
His colleagues all thought he was ridiculous. Ban Chao replied, “You are all mediocre. How can you understand a hero’s pursuit?”
In Ban Chao’s time, wars between the Eastern Han Dynasty and states in the Western Regions on the Silk Road were frequent.
So Ban Chao joined the army. He was very brave in battle and was soon promoted.
Later, the emperor sent him as an envoy to the Western Regions. With his courage and quick mind, Ban Chao successfully fulfilled all his missions, and did much to promote communication between the Eastern Han Dynasty and states in the Western Regions.
From Ban Chao’s example, people drew the idiom “to throw aside the writing brush and join the army.” The idiom reads “tou bi cong rong”.
(Source:english.cri.cn)
