📖 Meaning
In feudal China, condemned prisoners were normally executed after autumn, following the belief that capital punishment should align with the yin season of decline. For especially grave offenses, however, execution could be carried out immediately without waiting for the customary autumn season. This idiom refers to such immediate execution of serious criminals.
📜 Origin Story
Ancient Chinese legal tradition held that executions should occur in autumn or winter, matching the season's association with death and decline, while spring and summer were reserved for life and growth. This custom, known as executing after autumn (秋后问斩), was codified in legal codes from the Han dynasty onward. However, for particularly heinous crimes, authorities were permitted to execute the offender immediately, a practice that came to be called 决不待时. The distinction reflected both legal severity and the philosophical principle of harmonizing state violence with cosmic seasonal rhythms.
💡 Example Usage
此案罪大恶极，按律决不待时，即日处决。
Given the heinous nature of this crime, the sentence shall be carried out immediately without waiting for the autumn season.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 决不待时
- Pinyin: jué bù dài shí
- Literal Translation: execute, not, wait, season
- Category: Power
- Characters: 4