During the late Tang Dynasty, political corruption ran rampant as regional military governors hoarded troops and carved out their own fiefdoms. In the north, two powerful warlords, Li Maozhen and Zhu Jinzhong, fought fiercely to control the puppet Emperor Tang Zhaozong and dominate the imperial court.
A eunuch named Han Quanhui, who had ties to Li Maozhen, feared that Zhu Quanzhong would reach the capital Chang'an first and doom him. Weeping, he urged the emperor, "If Zhu Quanzhong reaches Chang'an, he will surely force Your Majesty to abdicate. I cannot bear to see the Tang dynasty end under your rule. It would be better for you to flee to Fengxiang in Shaanxi, rely on Li Maozhen, and then raise an army against Zhu Quanzhong."
At first, Emperor Zhaozong refused to comply, so Han Quanhui set fire to the tower, ultimately forcing the emperor to flee to Fengxiang. Zhu Quanzhong pursued relentlessly, marching straight to Fengxiang, surrounding the city and attacking day and night.
After the siege dragged on, food in the city ran low, and many soldiers and civilians starved to death—even Emperor Zhaozong could not get enough to eat. Many generals were forced to surrender to Zhu Quanzhong. Li Maozhen panicked and wrote a letter to Zhu Quanzhong, saying:
“This disaster was caused by the eunuch Han Quanhui and his ilk. I feared the emperor would fall under the influence of villains, and since you had not yet arrived, I could only let the emperor stay in Fengxiang. Since you are willing to take charge of the state, I will do my utmost to assist you.”
The eunuch Han Quanhui and his faction had forced Emperor Zhaozong to flee to Fengxiang, effectively handing the emperor to Li Maozhen and thinking they had scored a major victory. But when Li Maozhen proved incompetent and offered to surrender the emperor to Zhu Quanzhong, Han Quanhui and the other eunuchs realized their lives were forfeit. As their power slipped away with no escape in sight, they sat in despair, heads hung low, utterly silent.
Within days, Emperor Zhaozong ordered the execution of Han Quanhui and other eunuchs. Shortly after, Zhu Quanzhong killed Emperor Zhaozong himself.
Later, the idiom "crestfallen" came to describe a state of disappointment, dejection, and listlessness.
Source: *New Book of Tang*, "Biography of Han Quanhui"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "垂头丧气" came to describe a state of disappointment, dejection, and listlessness.