Idiom Explanation:
In order to uphold justice, relatives who have committed crimes are not harbored so that they are duly punished.
Pronunciation:
大义灭亲
dà yì miè qīn
origin:
春秋·左丘明《左传·隐公四年》：君子曰：“石碏，纯臣也。恶州吁而厚与焉。‘大义灭亲’，其是之谓乎！”
story:
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Duke of Wei had a son named Zhou Yu, who was born to the Duke’s concubine, so he was especially favored by the Duke. At that time, Shi Que (石 Que), a senior official of the state of Wei, also had a son named Shi Hou (石厚), who often played with Zhou Yu. Shi Que repeatedly advised his son not to be with Zhou Yu, but he did not listen to him and continued to behave himself.
After the death of Duke Wei Zhuang, Duke Wei Huan (the brother of Zhou Yu) reigned. In the 16th year of the reign, Zhou Yu killed his brother and seized the throne with the help of Shi Hou. The two of them thought they would enjoy endless wealth and prosperity, but the evil act of killing his brother to seize the throne led to a rebellion and destabilization of the throne. So he discussed with Shi Hou about what to do. Shi Hou said, “When my father Shi Que was in office, everyone respected him, so let’s ask him to assist us.
So Zhou Yu sent Shi Hou with valuable gifts to invite Shi Que, who had already retired to his hometown, to take up his post. Shi Que had already known that the two of them had conspired to usurp the throne, and refused to enter the court on the pretext that he was ill. Shi Que had no choice but to ask Shi Que again for a good plan to stabilize the throne. Shi Que was very angry with him for killing his brother and seizing the throne, so he tried a trick. He said to his son, “If the son of Zhou allows Zhou Yu to be the king, the others will obey.” Shi Hou said, “I am afraid that the son of Zhou will not give his permission, but who can intercede with the son of Zhou?” Shi Que said to him, “The Duke of Chen Huan (huán) is a good ruler, and he has good relations with the Son of Zhou. If you go to the state of Chen and ask the Duke of Chen Huan to help you, you will be successful.”
Shi Que secretly wrote to his friend, who was a great official in the state of Chen, asking him to help him in eliminating harm to the people. The friend immediately told Duke Huan of Chen the details. As soon as Zhou Yu and Shi Hou arrived at the state of Chen, the Duke of Chen ordered them to be arrested and read Shi Que’s letter in public. Only then did Zhou Yu and Shi Hou realize that they had fallen into Shi Que’s scheme, but it was too late.
The Duke of Chen Huan ordered that Zhou Yu and Shi Hou be imprisoned, and sent a messenger to tell Shi Que. Shi Que and the other great officials decided to send someone to Chen to execute them. One of them said, “I would like to execute Zhou Yu with my own hands for killing his brother and seizing the throne. But Shi Hou was your son, and was only an accessory to the crime, so he should be treated leniently.” Shi Que, however, said, “Most of the evil deeds done by Zhou Yu were planned by Shi Hou. If you do not kill him, I will do it myself. If I don’t kill Shi Hou, I’m afraid it will be difficult to calm the people’s hearts.” Several courtiers, not wanting to see their old master travel, went to Chen on his behalf and killed Shi Hou. At that time the people praised Shi Que, saying, “Shi Que is a pure man who endured to kill his son who had done wrong for the sake of the great justice of the state.”
Similar Idioms:
- 不徇私情
- 大公无私
