抛妻弃子 abandon wife and children
Explanation
抛弃妻子和子女。形容人为了某种目的而狠心抛弃自己的家人。
To abandon one's wife and children. Describes how someone cruelly abandons their family for their own purposes.
Origin Story
话说古代，有个叫李实的书生，寒窗苦读十年，终于考取功名，被朝廷派往边疆做官。李实告别妻子，带着全家老小前往边关。路途遥远，生活艰难，一家人饱受风霜雨雪的摧残，孩子也一个接一个生病。李实的妻子，一个温柔贤惠的女子，为了给孩子治病，把身上仅有的首饰都变卖了，依旧不够。无奈之下，李实狠下心来，在荒无人烟的山路上，抛弃了妻子和年幼的孩子们，自己独自一人继续前行。后来，李实官至高位，但他却终日活在深深的自责与悔恨之中，他的成功，已失去意义。这便是抛妻弃子的悲剧。
Once upon a time, in ancient China, there lived a scholar named Li Shi, who after ten years of hard study finally passed the imperial examination and was appointed to an official position in the border regions. Li Shi bid farewell to his wife and, with his whole family, set off for the border. The journey was long and arduous; the harsh conditions of wind, frost, snow, and rain took their toll on the entire family, and the children began to fall ill one by one. Li Shi’s wife, a gentle and virtuous woman, sold all her jewelry to pay for the children's medical care, but it was still not enough. In despair, Li Shi made the agonizing decision to abandon his wife and young children on a deserted mountain road, and continued his journey alone. Later, Li Shi rose to a high position in the government. But he lived the rest of his days in deep remorse and regret. His success had become meaningless. This is the tragedy of abandoning wife and children.
Usage
多用于书面语，形容为了某种原因而不得不抛弃自己的妻子和子女，也含贬义。
Mostly used in written language, describing the abandonment of one's wife and children for a certain reason, it also carries a negative connotation.
Examples
-
他为了事业，不惜抛妻弃子，独自一人远走他乡。
ta weile shiye, buxi paoqi qizi, duzi yiren yuanzou taxiaing
He abandoned his wife and children for his career and went to a faraway place alone.
-
战争年代，许多人被迫抛妻弃子，逃难去了
zhanzheng niandai, xueduo ren beipo paoqi qizi, taonan qule
During the war, many people were forced to abandon their wives and children and flee.