马援 (Mǎ Yuán) · Ma Yuan (14 BC–AD 49), Eastern Han general…

Meanings

1 Ma Yuan (14 BC–AD 49), Eastern Han general known as the Wave-Subduing General

About Ma Yuan

14 BC – AD 49 · 军事家 military leader

General who put down the Trung sisters' rising in what is now northern Vietnam and died on campaign in old age. His sayings gave the idioms 老当益壮, the older the stronger, and 马革裹尸, to die on the battlefield.

Also called 文渊、伏波将军、马伏波

Characters

Examples

HSK 5

马援是东汉初年的名将。

Mǎ Yuán shì Dōnghàn chūnián de míngjiàng.

Ma Yuan was a famous general of the early Eastern Han.

HSK 7-9

马援六十二岁时还主动请求带兵出征。

Mǎ Yuán liùshí'èr suì shí hái zhǔdòng qǐngqiú dàibīng chūzhēng.

At sixty-two, Ma Yuan still volunteered to lead an army on campaign.

Tips

history

His letter to his nephews 马严 and 马敦, full of advice on how to behave, gave 画虎类犬: try to paint a tiger and you end up with a dog, said of an overambitious attempt that fails.

history

In the south he ate 薏苡 (Job's tears) against fevers and brought home a cartload of seed. After his death a rival claimed it was pearls, and the emperor took back his marquis's seal; 薏苡之谤 still means being falsely accused.