====== jīnpén xǐshǒu: 金盆洗手 - To Wash One's Hands in a Golden Basin (Retire from a Life of Crime/Trade) ======
===== Quick Summary =====
  * **Keywords:** jinpen xishou, 金盆洗手, wash hands in a golden basin, retire from crime, turn over a new leaf, leaving the underworld, Chinese idiom, wuxia, kung fu story, make a clean break, retire from business.
  * **Summary:** The Chinese idiom **金盆洗手 (jīnpén xǐshǒu)** literally translates to "washing one's hands in a golden basin." It vividly describes the act of formally and publicly retiring from a specific world, especially a life of crime, the martial arts underworld (江湖, jiānghú), or any controversial or high-stakes profession. Originating from wuxia stories, this phrase signifies a dramatic and final decision to make a clean break and start a new, peaceful life.
===== Core Meaning =====
  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** jīnpén xǐshǒu
  * **Part of Speech:** Idiom (Chengyu); Verb Phrase
  * **HSK Level:** N/A
  * **Concise Definition:** To wash one's hands in a golden basin—to formally retire from a particular, often illicit or unorthodox, trade or lifestyle.
  * **In a Nutshell:** Imagine a powerful gang leader or a legendary swordsman deciding they've had enough of the violence and conflict. To show everyone they're serious, they hold a grand ceremony. In front of all their old rivals and allies, they wash their hands in a golden bowl, symbolizing the washing away of their past deeds and their permanent exit from that world. That's the core feeling of `金盆洗手`—it's not just quitting a job, it's a ceremonial farewell to a whole way of life.
===== Character Breakdown =====
  * **金 (jīn):** Gold; golden. Here, it adds a sense of formality, wealth, and significance to the act. This isn't just any basin; it's a golden one, befitting a grand ceremony.
  * **盆 (pén):** Basin; bowl; pot. The vessel for the symbolic act of cleansing.
  * **洗 (xǐ):** To wash; to cleanse.
  * **手 (shǒu):** Hand. Represents one's actions, skills, and past deeds.
  * Together, **金盆洗手** paints a powerful picture of a ceremonial cleansing. By washing one's "hands" (past actions) in a "golden basin" (a formal, significant ceremony), a person publicly declares their intention to leave their old life behind for good.
===== Cultural Context and Significance =====
  * The heart of `金盆洗手` lies in the concept of the **江湖 (jiānghú)**, or the "martial arts underworld," popularized by **wuxia (武侠)** novels and films. The `jiānghú` is a society with its own code of ethics, power struggles, and grievances, existing parallel to mainstream society. Leaving this world isn't as simple as just walking away; it requires a public declaration to settle all old scores and signal to others that you are no longer part of the "game." The `金盆洗手` ceremony is that declaration. It's a formal request to be left in peace.
  * **Comparison to Western Culture:** A similar Western concept might be a gunslinger "hanging up his spurs" or a mafioso "going straight." However, the Western ideas are often private decisions. `金盆洗手` is fundamentally a **public and ceremonial act**. It's about managing social relationships (`关系, guānxi`) and preserving face (`面子, miànzi`) for everyone involved. By making the retirement public, the person shows respect to their old community and draws a clear line, preventing future misunderstandings or calls for old favors. It’s a performance of finality.
===== Practical Usage in Modern China =====
  * While its origins are dramatic, `金盆洗手` is used in modern contexts, often with a touch of hyperbole or humor.
  * **Business and Politics:** It can describe a powerful, controversial figure's retirement from a cutthroat industry. For example, a "wolf of Wall Street" type investor who suddenly retires to a farm could be said to have `金盆洗手`. It implies they are leaving a high-stakes, morally gray world.
  * **Crime and Underworld:** This is the most traditional usage, referring to a gangster or criminal deciding to live a normal life.
  * **Informal and Humorous Use:** Friends might use this term jokingly. A notorious "party animal" who decides to get married and settle down might announce, "我要金盆洗手了!" (I'm washing my hands in a golden basin!). It's used to add drama and humor to the act of giving up a long-standing, intense hobby or habit.
===== Example Sentences =====
  * **Example 1:**
    * 这位黑帮老大决定**金盆洗手**，从此不再过问江湖事。
    * Pinyin: Zhè wèi hēibāng lǎodà juédìng **jīnpén xǐshǒu**, cóngcǐ bù zài guòwèn jiānghú shì.
    * English: This gang boss decided to wash his hands in a golden basin and no longer involve himself in the affairs of the underworld.
    * Analysis: This is the classic, literal usage of the idiom, directly referencing retirement from a life of crime.
  * **Example 2:**
    * 在股市里赚够了钱，他宣布**金盆洗手**，回老家过田园生活去了。
    * Pinyin: Zài gǔshì lǐ zhuàn gòu le qián, tā xuānbù **jīnpén xǐshǒu**, huí lǎojiā guò tiányuán shēnghuó qù le.
    * English: After making enough money in the stock market, he announced his "retirement" and went back to his hometown to live a pastoral life.
    * Analysis: Here, the "stock market" is treated as a metaphorical `江湖` (a chaotic, high-stakes world). The idiom emphasizes the finality and completeness of his departure.
  * **Example 3:**
    * 作为一个传奇黑客，他最终选择**金盆洗手**，成为了一名网络安全顾问。
    * Pinyin: Zuòwéi yī gè chuánqí hēikè, tā zuìzhōng xuǎnzé **jīnpén xǐshǒu**, chéngwéi le yī míng wǎngluò ānquán gùwèn.
    * English: As a legendary hacker, he ultimately chose to wash his hands in a golden basin and became a cybersecurity consultant.
    * Analysis: This shows the idiom applied to a modern, unorthodox "trade." He is leaving the "dark side" for a legitimate profession.
  * **Example 4:**
    * 我再也不赌博了！从今天起，我**金盆洗手**！
    * Pinyin: Wǒ zài yě bù dǔbó le! Cóng jīntiān qǐ, wǒ **jīnpén xǐshǒu**!
    * English: I'm never gambling again! Starting today, I'm quitting for good!
    * Analysis: A very common, personal use. The speaker uses this dramatic idiom to emphasize their strong resolve to quit a bad habit.
  * **Example 5:**
    * 听说那个著名的八卦记者**金盆洗手**了，现在在乡下开了一家书店。
    * Pinyin: Tīngshuō nàge zhùmíng de bāguà jìzhě **jīnpén xǐshǒu** le, xiànzài zài xiāngxià kāi le yī jiā shūdiàn.
    * English: I heard that famous gossip columnist has retired from the game and now runs a bookstore in the countryside.
    * Analysis: The world of tabloid journalism is framed as a messy, conflict-ridden `江湖` that the person has decisively left behind.
  * **Example 6:**
    * 结婚以后，他告诉朋友们自己要**金盆洗手**，再也不去酒吧了。
    * Pinyin: Jiéhūn yǐhòu, tā gàosù péngyǒumen zìjǐ yào **jīnpén xǐshǒu**, zài yě bù qù jiǔbā le.
    * English: After getting married, he told his friends he was "hanging up his spurs" and wouldn't go to bars anymore.
    * Analysis: A humorous and informal usage. It exaggerates the "wildness" of his past life to celebrate his new commitment.
  * **Example 7:**
    * 这位政客在曝出丑闻后，不得不宣布**金盆洗手**，退出政坛。
    * Pinyin: Zhè wèi zhèngkè zài bàochū chǒuwén hòu, bùdébù xuānbù **jīnpén xǐshǒu**, tuìchū zhèngtán.
    * English: After the scandal was exposed, this politician had no choice but to announce his retirement and withdraw from the political arena.
    * Analysis: Here, the connotation is less voluntary. He was forced to make a clean break from his political career.
  * **Example 8:**
    * 你真的相信他已经**金盆洗手**了吗？江山易改，本性难移。
    * Pinyin: Nǐ zhēn de xiāngxìn tā yǐjīng **jīnpén xǐshǒu** le ma? Jiāngshān yì gǎi, běnxìng nán yí.
    * English: Do you really believe he has turned over a new leaf? It's easy to change the rivers and mountains, but hard to change a person's nature.
    * Analysis: This sentence expresses skepticism about someone's supposed retirement, questioning its sincerity.
  * **Example 9:**
    * 这位伟大的运动员在赢得最后一次冠军后，光荣地**金盆洗手**了。
    * Pinyin: Zhè wèi wěidà de yùndòngyuán zài yíngdé zuìhòu yī cì guànjūn hòu, guāngróng de **jīnpén xǐshǒu** le.
    * English: After winning his final championship, the great athlete gloriously retired.
    * Analysis: While [[挂靴]] (guà xuē) is more common for athletes, `金盆洗手` can be used here to add a sense of legendary, almost mythical, finality to a great career.
  * **Example 10:**
    * 他年轻时犯过错，但二十年前就**金盆洗手**，现在是个受人尊敬的商人。
    * Pinyin: Tā niánqīng shí fànguò cuò, dàn èrshí nián qián jiù **jīnpén xǐshǒu**, xiànzài shì ge shòu rén zūnjìng de shāngrén.
    * English: He made mistakes when he was young, but he went straight twenty years ago and is now a respected businessman.
    * Analysis: This example highlights the transformative power implied by the idiom—a complete and successful break from a past life.
===== Nuances and Common Mistakes =====
  * **Not for Normal Retirement:** The most common mistake is using `金盆洗手` for a regular job change or retirement. An accountant retiring after 40 years of service is just `退休 (tuìxiū)`. You would only use `金盆洗手` if, for example, he was known as a ruthless "corporate raider" leaving a world of hostile takeovers. The term requires a dramatic exit from a specific, often intense or morally ambiguous, "world."
  * **It's a Set Phrase:** You cannot separate the characters. `洗手 (xǐ shǒu)` by itself just means "to wash hands." The ceremonial meaning only exists in the full four-character idiom `金盆洗手`.
  * **False Friend: "To wash one's hands of something"**: In English, this phrase implies abandoning a responsibility or refusing to deal with a difficult situation, often with a negative connotation. `金盆洗手` is different; it's about a clean break and personal transformation, which is usually seen as a neutral or positive step. It's about ending one's own involvement, not shirking a duty owed to others.
===== Related Terms and Concepts =====
  * [[江湖]] (jiānghú) - The "rivers and lakes"; the martial arts underworld or any community outside the mainstream. This is the world one leaves when they `金盆洗手`.
  * [[改邪归正]] (gǎi xié guī zhèng) - To abandon evil ways and return to the right path. More focused on moral correction than `金盆洗手`, which is about changing profession/status.
  * [[挂靴]] (guà xuē) - "To hang up one's boots." A more specific term used for the retirement of athletes.
  * [[解甲归田]] (jiě jiǎ guī tián) - "To take off armor and return to the fields." Refers to a soldier retiring from military life. Shares the theme of leaving a world of conflict.
  * [[洗心革面]] (xǐ xīn gé miàn) - "To wash the heart and change the face." To undergo a complete moral reform; to turn over a new leaf. This focuses more on internal change, while `金盆洗手` focuses on the external, public act.
  * [[退隐]] (tuìyǐn) - To retire into seclusion. Often used for scholars or officials who withdraw from public life to live as hermits. It implies a quieter, more private withdrawal than the ceremonial `金盆洗手`.
  * [[收山]] (shōu shān) - "To close the mountain." Often used by a master of a skill (e.g., martial arts, art, cooking) to announce they are taking on their last disciple and will no longer teach publicly.