To shut the door and reflect on one’s own faults. The metaphor is that a person has the self-knowledge to be able to self-criticize and examine his own faults.
Idiom Pronunciation:
闭门思过
bì mén sī guò
Origin:
《汉书·韩延寿传》：因入卧传舍，闭阁思过。
Story:
During the reign of Emperor Zhao of the Western Han Dynasty of China, Han Yanshou, a Yan native, was the governor of the Eastern County. He was good at listening to the advice of his men and actively adopted good ideas. As a result, the social atmosphere improved greatly, making Dongxian the best governed county in China at that time. Later, Han Yanshou became the governor of Zuo Fengyi. In the first few years of his tenure, he never visited the local area.
One time, one of his subordinates advised him to go down to inspect the performance of the county officials. Han Yanshou said, “There are wise governors in all counties, and the governors can distinguish between good and evil, so I am afraid that my going down there will not be of much use but will add to the trouble.”
His subordinates said, “It’s the busy spring season, so it’s good to go there to see what the farmers are doing.” Han Yanshou had no choice but to go. As soon as he reached Gaoling County, two brothers came to him directly to complain about the dispute over the fields. This made him feel very sad, and he said, “I am the governor of a county, but I cannot save the people, and as a result, the people have flesh and blood disputes, which hurts the morals and humiliates the virtuous and filial sons, so the responsibility is all on me, so I should step down and give way to the sage.”
The next day, he excused himself and said he was sick, and closed his door to think about his life. When the local officials saw him like this, they all felt that they had failed in their duties. Han Yanshou’s action also deeply touched the two brothers who were fighting over the land, and they changed from fighting with each other to giving way to each other, and came forward to apologize. Han Yanshou was so happy that he received them personally and offered them a warm welcome with wine and meat, encouraging them to learn from their mistakes and change. This incident made the local people and officials respect Han Yanshou even more. From then on, there were no more disputes in Feng Yi and Han Yanshou was loved by the officials and people.
Unfortunately, a big tree attracts the wind. The official was jealous and framed by Xiao Wangzhi, the imperial historian, and was charged with “cunning and dishonest” and was beheaded. On the day of the execution, thousands of officials and people came to the execution site, supporting the old and young, climbing into the prison carriage, offering wine and meat, and crying bitterly. This shows his fame and reputation.
