Chinese Idiom: 渑池之功 (Mian Chi Zhi Gong)
English Translation: Achievement at Mianchi
pīn yīn: miǎn chí zhī gōng
Idiom Meaning: Refers to significant national achievements or contributions.
Historical Source: From 《史记·廉颇蔺相如列传》 (Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru).
Idiom Story:
In the late Warring States period, the State of Zhao was under threat from the powerful State of Qin. In 281 BC, Qin forces attacked and captured the city of Shicheng, and the following year, they inflicted heavy losses on Zhao’s army. By 279 BC, the Qin King, seeking to solidify his dominance, proposed a diplomatic meeting with Zhao’s King Huiwen at Mianchi (modern-day Mianchi County, Henan).
King Huiwen of Zhao was intimidated by Qin’s strength and was hesitant to attend. However, his advisors, including Lian Po and Lin Xiangru, persuaded him that avoiding the meeting would suggest weakness. Thus, King Huiwen agreed to attend the meeting with Lin Xiangru.
Before the meeting, Lian Po and Lin Xiangru prepared a contingency plan. They agreed that if the meeting extended beyond thirty days, they would assume something had gone wrong and prepare for the possibility that King Huiwen might be detained.
At the meeting, Qin King, enjoying his drink, asked King Huiwen to play the guqin, a stringed musical instrument. When Huiwen complied, the Qin court official recorded: “On this date, the Qin King and Zhao King dined together, and the Zhao King played the guqin.”
Lin Xiangru, seeking to assert Zhao’s dignity, offered a ceramic basin for the Qin King to play as a musical instrument. The Qin King refused, which angered Lin Xiangru. He threatened the Qin King, stating that he would fight if his request was not honored. Faced with such a threat, the Qin King reluctantly tapped the basin.
To counter a proposal from Qin officials for Zhao to cede fifteen cities, Lin Xiangru countered with a bold request: Qin should gift the capital city of Xianyang to Zhao. The meeting concluded with neither side gaining the upper hand, and Zhao was able to fortify its defenses, deterring any further aggression from Qin.
The story of Lin Xiangru’s diplomatic prowess at Mianchi became a celebrated example of significant national achievement, thus giving rise to the idiom “渑池之功,” symbolizing remarkable contributions to the nation.
