In September 2013, People’s Daily Online, carrying a Xinhua report, gave Xi Jinping’s call to “firmly oppose liberalism and good-guy-ism (好人主义) in Party life.” A Hebei official described the habit of avoiding conflict: “Afraid of touching contradictions, they plant more flowers and fewer thorns.” (多栽花少栽刺)
In 2021, an article in People’s Daily wrote: “A spirit of harmony, Mr. Nice Guys, you are good, I am good, everyone is good. This is not unity. It is slackness, and also a kind of numbness.”
打肚皮官司 To fight a lawsuit in the belly. To keep one’s words shut inside and not say them.
情面 Feeling and face. The goodwill and face between people. To expose mistakes “without regard to qingmian” is to ignore them.
磨不开 Unable to grind it open. To feel too embarrassed to do or say something.
当面锣，对面鼓 A gong to the face, a drum opposite. To settle a disputed matter face to face.
Before the Battle of Red Cliffs, Cao Cao had taken Jingzhou and its fleet. Sun Quan called his officials together and asked for their advice. According to the Records of the Three Kingdoms, all who spoke said that the best plan was to “welcome” Cao Cao, that is, to submit. Zhou Yu argued for war, and Sun Quan agreed with him.
A note to the same chapter, from the Jiangbiao Zhuan, describes what Sun Quan did next. He drew his sword and cut the desk in front of him. “Any officer or official who dares to speak again of welcoming Cao Cao will be like this desk.” (诸将吏敢复有言当迎操者，与此案同)
On February 10, 1964, People’s Daily published an article called “The Road of Dazhai” (大寨之路) about the advanced deeds of the people of Dazhai, a village in Shanxi. An editorial titled “A Good Model for Building Mountain Areas With Revolutionary Spirit” called on the whole country to learn the revolutionary spirit of the Dazhai people. The slogan became “In industry, learn from Daqing. In agriculture, learn from Dazhai.”
In 1380, the Hongwu Emperor, founder of the Ming dynasty, had his chancellor Hu Weiyong executed for alleged treason and abolished the office of chancellor. In his Ancestral Instructions (皇明祖训), he explained the new order. The ministries and offices “check each other and do not dare to press on each other. All matters are brought together at the court.”
His rule for the future was absolute: “When my descendants are emperor, they may not appoint a chancellor. If any minister dares to propose it, all officials shall impeach him at once. The offender shall be put to death by slicing, and his whole family executed.”
In 1959, the sanitation worker Shi Chuanxiang attended the national “heroes’ conference” in Beijing as a national advanced producer. He was elected to its presidium. Head of State Liu Shaoqi once took his hand and said: “As a cleaner, you are a servant of the people. As chairman, I am also a servant of the people.”
After the Ming abolished the chancellor, memorials to the throne went to the Grand Secretaries. They drafted a proposed reply on a slip of paper and attached it to the cover of the memorial. This was called piaoni (票拟), “drafting on a slip.” The emperor then wrote his decision on the memorial in red ink. This was called pihong (批红), “approving in red.”
If the emperor agreed, the memorial went out to be carried out. If he did not, it went back to the cabinet for a new draft. From the Xuande reign on, the red brush passed to the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial.
Since 1954, schools across China have chosen “three-good students” (三好学生), with fixed quotas and largely the same standards everywhere. The three goods are good moral character, good study and good health. In May 1982, the Ministry of Education and the Communist Youth League issued trial rules for choosing three-good students in middle schools.
In 1729, the Yongzheng Emperor set up an office inside the palace to handle a war in the northwest. It became the Grand Council (军机处), and it remained until 1911. Its ministers turned the emperor’s spoken instructions into edicts. They also discussed major affairs, but their opinions went to the emperor for his decision.
Chinese Wikipedia sums up their position with a classic description. They “only transmitted and wrote, and could not add the slightest counsel in between” (只供传述缮撰，而不能稍有赞画于其间). The power of decision rested entirely with the emperor.
见贤思齐焉，见不贤而内自省也 On seeing a worthy person, think of becoming his equal. On seeing an unworthy one, look within and examine oneself. (Analects)
榜样的力量是无穷的 The power of example is boundless. Xi Jinping used the line at a study session of the Politburo on February 24, 2014.
标兵 A marker soldier, one who marks the line on a parade ground. Also a person or group held up as a model.