Idiom Explanation:
In feudal times, a minister killed a person and then reported it to the emperor. Now it is mostly used as a metaphor for taking care of things on one’s own, creating a fait accompli, and then reporting it to one’s superiors or those in power.
Pronunciation:
先斩后奏
xiān zhǎn hòu zòu
Origin:
《汉书·申屠嘉传》：“吾悔不先斩错乃请之。”颜师古注：“言先斩而后奏。”
Story:
For the “first beheaded and then played”, the North and South dynasties, Liu Innocent in the “Liu Zi” said, “Shen Tu regret not first beheaded and then played, so the fury and death.” In addition, there is the following story about this idiom.
Her father, Dou Tianzhang, a poor scholar, borrowed money from a widow, Cai Nan, in order to pay off his debts and to pay for his trip to Beijing. Cai has long been fond of his daughter Duan Yun, taking the opportunity to ask for Rui Yun as a child bride. Duan Yun lost her mother at the age of 3 and went to Cai’s house at the age of 7. She changed her name to Dou E. At the age of 17, Dou E married Cai’s son and a year later her husband died of illness. She and her mother-in-law lived a widowed life together.
One day, Cai went to ask for money from Sai Lu doctor, who earned her to go to a secluded place and tried to strangle her, but she was saved by Zhang Donkey’s father and son. Because of this saving grace, Zhang Donkey’s father and son wanted to take over the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Dou E insisted on not obeying. Zhang Donkey’s son put poison in the goat belly soup to kill Cai and take over Dou E. Unexpectedly, his father drank the bowl of tripe soup and died.
Zhang Donkey’s father drank the soup and died. Dou E has a clear conscience and goes with Zhang Donkey to see a judge. Dou E was tortured to make her confession, but Dou E did not give in. Dou E was sentenced to death for saving her mother-in-law. When she was about to be executed, Dou E was full of sorrow and anger and said: “Those who do good suffer poverty and have a short life, but those who do evil enjoy preciousness and live longer. Heaven and earth, do a fear of hard and soft, but it turns out that also this kind of water to push the boat. You do not distinguish between good and evil, what is the earth? Heaven, too, you are wrong to judge the virtues and fools in vain as heaven! Then, the official, who was not sure about the case, ordered Dou E to be beheaded.
Before her death, Dou E made three vows: if she died, after her death, her blood would fly white, snow would fall in June, and there would be a drought for three years, and they all came true.
Dou Tianzhang later became a big official, trusted by the emperor, the official title of the two Huaihuai Province, the government of Su Zheng Lian Visiting Ambassador, was ordered to visit the people, punish corrupt officials, back to the hometown after 16 years of absence. The ghost of Dou E dreamed of her father and told him of her grievances. Dou Tianzhang reopened the case and killed Zhang Donkey, finally clearing up his daughter’s injustice. Dou Tianzhang has this soliloquy in “Dou’e’s Injustice”.
“Because of my integrity and honesty as an official, my integrity, and my strong and upright moral character, the emperor took pity on me and asked me to take up the post of the two Huaihuai District Criminal and Political Integrity Envoy, to interrogate prisoners and consult case files, and gave me a sword and a gold medal, which symbolized my power, to monitor corrupt officials and to allow me to be executed before being sentenced.”
