During the Eastern Han Dynasty, General Ma Yuan achieved great military exploits, and the emperor bestowed upon him the title of Marquis of Xinxi with a fief of three thousand households. When Ma Yuan returned triumphantly to the capital, friends and relatives flocked to welcome him. Among them was a man named Meng Ji, known for his clever advice, who also joined in the congratulations. Ma Yuan remarked, "I thought you, of all people, would offer me some serious counsel, yet here you are, just echoing everyone else with flattery."
Ma Yuan continued, "During Emperor Wu's reign, General Lu Bode of the Fubo title opened up seven commanderies, yet the emperor only rewarded him with a marquisate of a few hundred households. My own merits are far inferior to Lu Bode's, yet I have received far greater rewards. When the reward outweighs the achievement, it cannot be sustained for long. Sir, could you kindly advise me on this?"
Meng Ji remained as polite as before, declining to say anything.
Ma Yuan continued, "Now the Xiongnu and Wuhuan in the north keep raiding our borders. I wish to volunteer to lead an expedition to pacify them. I believe that a man of true spirit should always be ready to die on the battlefield and return wrapped in horsehide. How could he die in bed, surrounded by his wife and children?"
Hearing Ma Yuan's bold ambition, Meng Ji was deeply impressed and exclaimed with admiration, "Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Now that is what it truly means to be a man of valor!" Ma Yuan continued fighting on the battlefield until the age of 62. While suppressing the "Five Streams Barbarians" in Wuling, he tragically fell ill and died in the army, thus fulfilling his vow to be "wrapped in horsehide." This idiom now describes heroic warriors who die in battle.
Source: *Book of the Later Han*, "Biography of Ma Yuan"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "马革裹尸" came to describe heroic warriors who die in battle.