During the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, the powerful minister Huo Guang held the real authority. His wife and descendants, relying on Huo Guang's influence, did whatever they pleased. A man named Xu Fu submitted three memorials to the emperor in succession, urging him to curb Huo Guang's power to prevent disaster. However, the emperor trusted Huo Guang too much and paid little attention to Xu Fu's warnings.
After Huo Guang's death, his descendants indeed plotted rebellion. Emperor Xuan, receiving a secret report, executed the entire Huo family and generously rewarded all meritorious officials, yet did not reward Xu Fu. Someone then submitted a memorial to Emperor Xuan, telling a story:
"A guest noticed that a family's chimney was too straight and firewood was piled near the stove, so he advised the owner to make the chimney more curved and move the firewood farther away to avoid the risk of fire. But the owner did not take it seriously."
Soon after, that household indeed caught fire. Many neighbors rushed to help extinguish the blaze, some even suffering burns to their heads and faces. To thank the neighbors for their aid, the owner specially slaughtered cattle and bought wine to feast them—yet completely forgot the person who had earlier advised him to bend the chimney and move the firewood. Someone then remarked with a sigh, "The one who suggested bending the chimney and moving the firewood receives no gratitude, while those with scorched heads and singed faces are treated as honored guests."
"Xu Fu once advised you to stop the Huo family's reckless behavior, but you paid no attention. Now that the incident has occurred, you have promoted and rewarded those who reported and suppressed it, yet you have not credited Xu Fu, who warned you to prevent it in the first place. Isn't this exactly the same as the story of the fire?"
Emperor Xuan found Xu Fu's memorial compelling and immediately rewarded him with ten bolts of silk and appointed him to an official post.
Later, people used the idiom "burnt head and bruised face" to describe someone who encounters difficulties in handling matters, leading to failure and ending up in a very distressed and awkward state.
Source: *Book of Former Han*, "Biography of Huo Guang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "焦头烂额" came to describe how someone encounters difficulties in handling matters, leading to failure and ending up in a very distressed and awkward state.