玩火自焚(Wán huǒ zì fén)
He who plays with fire will get burnt
During the Spring and Autumn Period(770–476BC),Prince Zhou Xu of the State of Wei killed his elder brother Duke Huan and became the monarch of Wei.
As the new ruler, Zhou Xu cruelly exploited and oppressed his people and indulged in wars of aggression. By launching wars,he tried to divert the people’s attention and wase their discontent with him so as to consolidate his ruling position.
When Duke Yin of the State of Lu leant zbout Zhou Xu’s usurpation of state power, he asked a senior official of Lu named Zhong Zhong, “Do you think Zhou Xu’s move will succeed?” Zhong Zhong said, “Counting on force Zhou Xu staged an armed rebellion, bringing disaster to the people. He won’t win their support. He’s cruel and brutal, using savage means of torture, and he’s capricious, so few of his close friends follow him. With the common folks opposing him and his close friends deserting him, it will be impossible for him to succeed.” Zhong Zhong added, “War is like fire. If one starts was endlessly without restraint, he’ll certainly burn himself. In my opinion, what’s in store for Zhou Xu is failure.
Sure enough, in less than a year, the people of Wei, with the help the State of clean, overthrew Zhou Xu and killed him.
From Zhong Zhong’s remarks people derived the idiom 玩火自焚(Wán huǒ zì fén) to means that those who evil will finally ruin themselves.
Another idiom developed from the words of the same man reads 众叛亲离(zhòng pàn qīn lí )—The masses are in rebellion and one’s followers are deserting. Ti xixidly describes how isolated someone can be.
(Source: english.cri.cn)
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