📖 Meaning
To issue orders and commands. It originally referred to the authority of a ruler to promulgate decrees. In modern usage, it often describes the act of directing or bossing others around, sometimes with a slightly negative connotation.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the 'Jiong Ming' chapter of the Shangshu (Book of Documents), a foundational Confucian classic from the Zhou dynasty, which states that when one issues orders and commands, none should be improper. The Huainanzi (Book of the Master of Huainan), compiled during the Western Han dynasty under Liu An, also cites it, saying that when orders and commands are issued, the whole world follows like the wind. These classical texts used the phrase to describe the governing authority of rulers through formal decrees.
💡 Example Usage
新经理上任后到处发号施令，引起员工的普遍不满。
After taking office, the new manager bossed everyone around, causing widespread dissatisfaction among the staff.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 发号施令
- Pinyin: fā hào shī lìng
- Literal Translation: issue, order, issue, command
- Category: Leadership
- Characters: 4