生杀予夺 shēng shā yù duó power over life and death

Explanation

生：让人活；杀：处死；予：给予；夺：剥夺。形容反动统治者掌握生死、赏罚大权。

Shēng: let someone live; shā: execute; yǔ: give; duó: deprive. Describes the power of reactionary rulers over life, death, reward, and punishment.

Origin Story

话说战国时期，诸侯割据，民不聊生。魏国有个暴君，名叫魏王，他残暴不仁，视百姓如草芥，一言不合就杀人，赏罚全凭自己心情，百姓苦不堪言。他经常在朝堂上，对大臣们说：“生杀予夺，全在我一人之手！”大臣们听到这话，都吓得噤若寒蝉，不敢有丝毫异议。魏王的生杀予夺的权力，让魏国百姓的生活陷入了水深火热之中，他们只能默默忍受着这残酷的统治。直到后来，一个名叫信陵君的贤臣，凭借着自己的智慧和胆识，发动了政变，推翻了魏王的暴政，才让魏国百姓重新过上了安稳的日子。从此，生杀予夺这个词，就用来形容那些掌握着绝对权力，可以决定他人命运的人。

huà shuō zhànguó shíqí, zhū hóu gē jù, mín bù liáo shēng. Wèi guó yǒu gè bàojūn, míng wèi Wèi Wáng, tā cánbào bù rén, shì bàixìng rú cǎojiè, yīyán bù hé jiù shārén, shǎngfá quán píng zìjǐ xīnqíng, bàixìng kǔ bù kān yán. Tā jīngcháng zài cháotáng shàng, duì dàchén men shuō: “shēng shā yù duó, quán zài wǒ yī rén zhī shǒu!” Dàchén men tīngdào zhè huà, dōu xià de jìn ruò hán chán, bù gǎn yǒu sīháo yìyì. Wèi Wáng de shēng shā yù duó de quánlì, ràng Wèi guó bàixìng de shēnghuó xiàn rù le shuǐ shēn huǒ rè zhī zhōng, tāmen zhǐ néng mòmò rěnshòu zhe zhè cánkù de tǒngzhì. Zhídào hòulái, yīgè míng wèi Xìnlíng Jūn de xiánchén, píngjì zìjǐ de zhìhuì hé dǎnshí, fādòng le zhèngbiàn, tuīfān le Wèi Wáng de bàozhèng, cái ràng Wèi guó bàixìng chóngxīn guò shang le ānwěn de rìzi. Cóngcǐ, shēng shā yù duó zhège cí, jiù yòng lái xíngróng nàxiē zhǎngwò zhe juéduì quánlì, kěyǐ juédìng tā rén mìngyùn de rén.

During the Warring States period of ancient China, the rule of the rulers was characterized by arbitrariness and cruelty. The king of the State of Wei was particularly known for his brutality. He killed his subjects at will and used his power to influence people to his advantage. Once he said to his ministers: “The right over life and death lies solely in my hand.” This quote illustrates how the “power over life and death” held the population in its grip through violence and oppression. Only when a wise minister, known as ‘the Prince of Xinling’, rose up and successfully overthrew the king could the people experience a turning point in their difficult situation. This story illustrates the meaning of the expression “sheng sha yu duo” and the importance of justice and human dignity.

Usage

生杀予夺通常用作定语、宾语，形容掌握生死大权，可以任意处置他人生死的权力。

shēng shā yù duó tōngcháng yòng zuò dìngyǔ, bìnyǔ, xíngróng zhǎngwò shēng sǐ dà quán, kěyǐ rènyì chǔzhì tā rén shēng sǐ de quánlì.

Shēng shā yù duó is usually used as an attributive or objective predicate and describes the power over life and death, the power to arbitrarily dispose of the life and death of others.

Examples

  • 秦始皇统一六国后，掌握了生杀予夺的大权。

    Qín Shǐ Huáng tǒngyī liù guó hòu, zhǎngwò le shēng shā yù duó de dà quán.

    After Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, he controlled the power of life and death.

  • 古代帝王拥有生杀予夺的权力。

    Gǔdài dìwáng yǒngyǒu shēng shā yù duó de quánlì.

    Ancient emperors had the power of life and death.

  • 暴君掌握了生杀予夺的权力，为所欲为。

    Bàojūn zhǎngwò le shēng shā yù duó de quánlì, wèi suǒ yù wéi.

    The tyrant controlled the power of life and death and did whatever he wanted.

Related Idioms

  • 草菅人命

  • 杀生予夺

Opposite Idioms

  • 鞠躬尽瘁