急流勇退 Retreat from the rapids
Explanation
比喻在官场得意时为了避祸而及时引退。也泛指在事情发展到不利阶段时及时停止，避免更大的损失。
A metaphor for the timely retreat of an official to avoid misfortune when he is successful in office. Also generally refers to stopping something in time when things develop to an unfavorable stage to avoid greater losses.
Origin Story
话说三国时期，蜀汉丞相诸葛亮鞠躬尽瘁，辅佐刘禅治理蜀国，然而蜀国国力日渐衰弱。诸葛亮临终前，他深知蜀汉大势已去，便留下遗嘱，让后人“急流勇退”，不要再为蜀汉倾尽全力。诸葛亮的这一决定，体现了他深谋远虑，避免更大的损失。他深知，继续耗费人力物力只会加速蜀汉的灭亡。
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang, the chancellor of Shu Han, devoted himself to assisting Liu Shan in governing the kingdom. However, Shu Han's national strength gradually weakened. Before his death, Zhuge Liang understood that the situation was hopeless and left a will instructing his descendants to "retreat from the rapids" and not to exert all their efforts for Shu Han anymore. This decision reflected Zhuge Liang's far-sightedness and efforts to avoid greater losses. He knew that continuing to expend manpower and material resources would only accelerate Shu Han's demise.
Usage
用于比喻在适当的时候及时退出，避免不必要的损失或风险。
Used to illustrate the timely withdrawal of something to avoid unnecessary losses or risks.
Examples
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他功成名就之后，毅然决然地急流勇退，令人敬佩。
ta gongchengmingjiu zhihou, yiranjueran de jiliuyongtui, lingren jingpei
After achieving success, he resolutely retreated from the rapids, which is admirable.
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面对公司面临的巨大危机，老总却选择了急流勇退，这令人费解。
mian dui gongsi mianlin de juda weiji, laozong que xuanze le jiliuyongtui, zhe lingren feiji
Faced with a huge crisis in the company, the boss chose to retreat from the rapids, which is puzzling.