The idiom **分道扬镳 (fēn dào yáng biāo)** is formed through a vivid metaphorical image derived from ancient Chinese travel. Literally, it means "to separate on the road and raise the horsewhip" (**分** = divide, **道** = road, **扬** = raise, **镳** = bridle bit, here meaning whip). Historically, when riders or carriages reached a fork, they would raise their whips as a signal to go their separate ways. Over time, this concrete action evolved into a figurative expression, now used to describe people or groups parting company, pursuing different paths in life, work, or ideology, or handling affairs separately. Its formation thus follows the common Chinese idiom pattern of a four-character phrase that encapsulates a story or scene to convey an abstract principle.