treo ấn từ quan

Definition
  1. Idiom (historical): To hang up the seal and resign from office. This phrase describes the act of a mandarin or official in feudal Vietnam (or China) formally resigning by returning their official seal (ấn) to the government and retiring from public service, often as a protest or on principle.
  2. Idiom (modern, figurative): To resign from a high-ranking position or a prestigious job on principle, often as a form of protest against corruption, injustice, or an untenable situation.
Usage Examples
  • Historical Context:
    • Vị quan thanh liêm ấy, chán nản với triều đình thối nát, đã treo ấn từ quan về quê làm ruộng. (That honest mandarin, disgusted with the corrupt court, hung up his seal and resigned to return to his homeland and farm.)
  • Modern Figurative Context:
    • Giám đốc đã treo ấn từ quan để phản đối chính sách phi đạo đức của công ty. (The director resigned from his high post to protest the company's unethical policies.)
Advanced Usage
  • The idiom carries a strong connotation of moral integrity and principled defiance. It is not used for ordinary job resignations but specifically for leaving a position of authority as a statement.
  • It implies a final and decisive break, often with the intention of withdrawing from public life or a particular sphere of influence.
Variants and Related Words
  • Từ quan (v): To resign from an official post. This is the core verb phrase meaning "to leave office."
  • Treo ấn (v): To hang up the seal. This is the symbolic action that completes the resignation.
Synonyms
  • Resign on principle: To quit a position as a matter of conscience.
  • Step down in protest: To leave a high position to object to something.
  • Retire from public service: To formally end one's official career.
Related Idioms
  • Cáo quan về vườn: A similar idiom meaning "to submit one's resignation and return to the garden/village," emphasizing retirement to a simple private life.
  • Bẻ tên, treo ấn: Literally "to break the arrow and hang up the seal," symbolizing a complete renunciation of both military (arrow) and civil (seal) duties.