tremble and obey
English
editEtymology
editCalque from Chinese 凜遵/凛遵 (lǐn zūn), a phrase historically used in Chinese imperial edicts.
Verb
edittremble and obey (third-person singular simple present trembles and obeys, present participle trembling and obeying, simple past and past participle trembled and obeyed)
- (idiomatic, chiefly China) To unthinkingly obey or pander to authorities, especially the Chinese government.
- 1949, Bertrand Russell, Authority and the Individual:
- The ordinary voter ... feels himself their humble subject, whose duty is, as the Chinese used to say, to “tremble and obey”.
- 2005, James McGregor, One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China[1], page 153:
- Never “tremble and obey” if doing so will damage or destroy your business in China.
- 2017, Stephen Vines, “Those who think the Umbrella Movement failed need to learn a little history”, in Hong Kong Free Press[2]:
- ... the previous colonial government and the current tremble-and-obey government have helped foster the myth of a historically politically apathetic and selfish society ...
- (historical, China) Phrase promulgating a decree of the Chinese imperial government or the early British colonial administration in Hong Kong.
- 1857, Thomas Wade, “Translation of a Paper forwarded by His Excellency the Governor of Macao”, in J. C. Parkinson, editor, Government Examinations[3], page 124:
- Let the good tremble and obey; let them not act so as to have hereafter to repent. A special Proclamation.
Translations
editto unthinkingly obey or pander to authorities
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