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Torture by own design
June 21, 2009, Sunday
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ONE must accept the consequences of one's actions. That is why Westerners say: "You've made your bed and you must lie in it."
Among Chinese, a similar view is expressed with the idiom qing3 jun1 ru4 weng4, or "Please step into the vat of your own creation."
The vat in the idiom is no ordinary container. It was an instrument of torture thought up by Zhou Xing, an official in the court of Empress Wu Zetian, during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).
After dethroning her own son, Emperor Zhong Zong, Wu ruled the country for 22 years by means of bloody suppression.
In her court, she employed a group of cruel and oppressive officials. Among them, Lai Junchen, Qiu Shenji and Zhou Xing were the most notorious.
They invented a large number of instruments to torture those they suspected of opposing the empress, and to force prisoners to admit to crimes. In addition, they put almost every official in the court under secret surveillance.
One day, Empress Wu summoned Lai and told him that according to secret reports Qiu and Zhou were conspiring against the state. The empress then ordered Lai to put Zhou on trial.
Instead of having him arrested, Lai invited him to a dinner and, over wine, discussed criminal cases with him. After emptying a few glasses, Lai said: "These days I find it very difficult to make some prisoners confess their crimes even after putting them through all kinds of torture. My friend, do you have any better ideas?"
"Very simple," Zhou replied. "Set up a large vat and heat it with charcoal. Then order the prisoner into the vat and, believe me, he will confess everything."
At this, Lai ordered soldiers to bring in a large vat and heat it in the way Zhou had just described. When the vat was burning hot, Lai stood up and, with a stern face, told Zhou: "I have received an imperial order to put you on trial on charges of subversion and conspiracy.
"Now, my friend, please step into the vat of your own creation," he directed.
Instantly, the effects of wine vanished from Zhou's head and a cold sweat rolled down his face. Zhou kowtowed to Lai and pleaded guilty.
But eventually, these courtiers, hated by so many people, all died in disgrace.
Today, the idiom qing3 jun1 ru4 weng4 is often cited sarcastically to describe a situation in which a person is asked to try what he has thought up to use against others.
Among Chinese, a similar view is expressed with the idiom qing3 jun1 ru4 weng4, or "Please step into the vat of your own creation."
The vat in the idiom is no ordinary container. It was an instrument of torture thought up by Zhou Xing, an official in the court of Empress Wu Zetian, during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).
After dethroning her own son, Emperor Zhong Zong, Wu ruled the country for 22 years by means of bloody suppression.
In her court, she employed a group of cruel and oppressive officials. Among them, Lai Junchen, Qiu Shenji and Zhou Xing were the most notorious.
They invented a large number of instruments to torture those they suspected of opposing the empress, and to force prisoners to admit to crimes. In addition, they put almost every official in the court under secret surveillance.
One day, Empress Wu summoned Lai and told him that according to secret reports Qiu and Zhou were conspiring against the state. The empress then ordered Lai to put Zhou on trial.
Instead of having him arrested, Lai invited him to a dinner and, over wine, discussed criminal cases with him. After emptying a few glasses, Lai said: "These days I find it very difficult to make some prisoners confess their crimes even after putting them through all kinds of torture. My friend, do you have any better ideas?"
"Very simple," Zhou replied. "Set up a large vat and heat it with charcoal. Then order the prisoner into the vat and, believe me, he will confess everything."
At this, Lai ordered soldiers to bring in a large vat and heat it in the way Zhou had just described. When the vat was burning hot, Lai stood up and, with a stern face, told Zhou: "I have received an imperial order to put you on trial on charges of subversion and conspiracy.
"Now, my friend, please step into the vat of your own creation," he directed.
Instantly, the effects of wine vanished from Zhou's head and a cold sweat rolled down his face. Zhou kowtowed to Lai and pleaded guilty.
But eventually, these courtiers, hated by so many people, all died in disgrace.
Today, the idiom qing3 jun1 ru4 weng4 is often cited sarcastically to describe a situation in which a person is asked to try what he has thought up to use against others.
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