📖 Meaning
To impose taxes arbitrarily and extort wealth from the people by force. It describes corrupt rulers or officials who ruthlessly exploit the common populace through excessive taxation and confiscation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a memorial to the throne by the Tang dynasty poet-official Yuan Zhen titled 'Memorial Impeaching the Military Governor of Jiannan Dongchuan.' In it, Yuan Zhen accused the regional military governor of failing in his duty to comfort the people and reduce corvée labor as expected. Instead, the official arbitrarily imposed harsh taxes and plundered households, enriching his own coffers while breaking families apart, all in violation of established laws and regulations.
💡 Example Usage
隋炀帝横征暴赋，致使民不聊生，最终引发大规模农民起义。
Emperor Yang of Sui imposed oppressive taxes and extorted the people mercilessly, leaving the masses destitute and ultimately triggering large-scale peasant uprisings.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 横征暴赋
- Pinyin: hèng zhēng bào fù
- Literal Translation: arbitrarily, levy, brutally, tax
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4