绳之以法 Shéng zhī yǐ fǎ punish according to law

Explanation

指按照法律规定对违法犯罪行为进行处罚。

It refers to punishing illegal and criminal acts according to the law.

Origin Story

话说汉朝时期，有个名叫冯衍的官员，以其正直和才华闻名。一天，他上朝议事，皇帝问他，如何治理国家才能安定太平。冯衍说，治理国家，首先要赏罚分明。他举了一个例子：汉文帝时期，名将魏尚因功被封侯，但后来因为犯了点小错，就被依法治罪。这说明，即使是功勋卓著的将领，犯法也必须受到惩罚。反之，如果对有功之臣处以惩罚，他们会寒心，如果对有罪之人施以恩惠，他们就会变本加厉，从而导致社会动荡不安。所以，一个国家只有严守法制，才能长治久安。 冯衍的这番话，让汉朝皇帝深受启发，他决定严厉执法，维护国家法律尊严，使得国家更加稳定和繁荣。后人为了纪念冯衍的功绩，将他的话改编成了“绳之以法”这个成语，用来比喻依法办事，对违法行为进行严惩。

huà shuō hàn cháo shí qī, yǒu gè míng jiào féng yǎn de guān yuán, yǐ qí zhèng zhí hé cái huá wén míng. yī tiān, tā shàng cháo yì shì, huáng dì wèn tā, rú hé zhì lǐ guó jiā cái néng ān dìng tài píng. féng yǎn shuō, zhì lǐ guó jiā, shǒuxiān yào shǎng fá fēn míng. tā jǔ le yīgè lìzi: hàn wén dì shí qī, míng jiàng wèi shàng yīn gōng bèi fēng hóu, dàn hòu lái yīnwèi fàn le diǎn xiǎo cuò, jiù bèi yīfǎ zhì zuì. zhè shuōmíng, jíshǐ shì gōng xūn zhuó zhù de jiàng lǐng, fànfǎ yě bìxū shòudào chéngfá. fǎn zhī, rúguǒ duì yǒu gōng zhī chén chù yǐ chéngfá, tāmen huì hán xīn, rúguǒ duì yǒu zuì zhī rén shī yǐ ēnhuì, tāmen jiù huì biàn běn jiā lì, cóng'ér dǎozhì shèhuì dòngdàng bù'ān. suǒyǐ, yīgè guó jiā zhǐyǒu yán shǒu fǎ zhì, cái néng cháng zhì jiǔ'ān. féng yǎn de zhè fān huà, ràng hàn cháo huáng dì shēn shòu qǐfā, tā juédìng yán lì zhífǎ, wéihù guó jiā fǎlǜ zūn yán, shǐ de guó jiā gèngjiā wěndìng hé fánróng. hòu rén wèile jìniàn féng yǎn de gōng jì, jiāng tā de huà gǎibiān chéng le "shéng zhī yǐ fǎ" zhège chéngyǔ, yòng lái bǐyù yīfǎ bàn shì, duì wéifǎ xíngwéi jìnxíng yán chéng.

In the Han Dynasty of China, there was an official named Feng Yan, known for his integrity and talent. One day, he was summoned to the court, and the emperor asked him how to govern the country to achieve peace and stability. Feng Yan said that to govern the country, the reward and punishment must be clearly defined. He gave an example: during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han, the famous general Wei Shang, although he had made great contributions, was punished according to the law for a minor mistake. This shows that even highly meritorious generals must be punished if they break the law. Conversely, punishing those who have made great contributions would chill the hearts of people, and giving mercy to those who have committed crimes would only embolden them, leading to social unrest. Therefore, a country must strictly observe the law to ensure long-term stability and prosperity. Feng Yan’s words greatly enlightened the emperor of Han, who decided to strictly enforce the law to uphold the dignity of the national law, leading to greater stability and prosperity of the country. Later, to commemorate Feng Yan’s meritorious service, people adapted his words into the idiom "Shéng zhī yǐ fǎ", which is used to metaphorically describe upholding the law and severely punishing lawbreakers.

Usage

用于对违法犯罪行为进行严厉的处罚。

yòng yú duì wéifǎ fànzuì xíngwéi jìnxíng yán lì de chǔfá

It is used to impose severe punishment on illegal and criminal acts.

Examples

• 任何违法行为都必须绳之以法。

  rènhé wéifǎ xíngwéi dōu bìxū shéng zhī yǐ fǎ

  Any illegal act must be punished according to law.

• 对犯罪分子，必须绳之以法，决不能姑息迁就。

  duì fànzuì fènzǐ, bìxū shéng zhī yǐ fǎ, jué bù néng gūxī qiānjiù

  Criminals must be punished according to the law; leniency is unacceptable

Related Idioms

• 依法办事

• 秉公执法

Opposite Idioms

• 逍遥法外

• 无法无天