出自《北齐书·元景安传》，比喻宁愿为气节牺牲。
From the Book of Northern Qi, Biography of Yuan Jingan. It is an idiom that means one would rather sacrifice oneself for one’s principles and integrity.
公元550年，东魏的孝静帝被迫让位给丞相高洋，后来高洋毒死了孝静帝，还杀害他的三个儿子。
In 550 AD, the Filial and Peaceful Emperor of the Eastern Wei dynasty was forced to abdicate in favor of the regent Gao Yang. Later, Gao Yang poisoned the former emperor and killed his three sons.
有一年发生日食，高洋认为是不祥的预兆，担心自己会丢掉皇位，就找来一个亲信问道：“王莽篡权，夺了刘家的天下，后来为什么又失去了呢？”那个亲信回答说是因为王莽没有把刘氏家族斩草除根。高洋受到启发，很快大开杀戒：杀光东魏姓元（原姓拓跋）的二十五家直系皇族七百多人。
One year, there was a solar eclipse, which Gao Yang took as an ominous sign that he might lose the throne. He summoned a confidant and asked, “Wang Mang usurped the Liu family’s rule over the empire, but why did he end up losing it later?” The confidant replied that it was because Wang Mang did not eliminate the Liu clan root and stem. Inspired by this, Gao Yang soon began a massacring spree, killing over 700 direct imperial clan members surnamed Yuan (originally Tuoba) from 25 families of the Eastern Wei.
得到消息后，东魏姓元的人都很害怕，他们赶紧聚集在一起商讨对策。有个名叫元景安的县令说，眼下要保命的唯一办法，是请求脱离元氏，改姓高氏。元景安的堂兄元景皓坚决反对说：“怎么能用改换姓氏的办法来保命呢，那样对得起咱们的祖宗先辈吗？大丈夫宁可做玉器被打碎，不愿做瓦片求得保全！我宁死也不改姓。”
Upon hearing this news, the Yuan clansmen became terrified and hurriedly gathered to discuss countermeasures. A county magistrate named Yuan Jingan suggested the only way to survive was to request to change their surname to Gao. But Yuan Jingan’s cousin Yuan Jinghao firmly objected, saying: “How can we preserve our lives by changing our surname? Would that way honor our ancestors? A man of integrity would rather shatter like a jade artifact than stay whole like a clay tile. I would rather die than change my surname!”