Chinese Idiom: 嫁祸于人 (Jia Huo Yu Ren)
English Translation: Transfer Misfortune to Others
pīn yīn: jià huò yú rén
Idiom Meaning: To shift blame or misfortune onto someone else.
Historical Source: From the Records of the Grand Historian (史记), specifically the “House of Zhao” (赵世家).
Idiom Story:
In the fourth year of King Xiaocheng of Zhao, the governor of Shangdang from Han State, Feng Ting, sent a messenger to meet with King Zhao. The messenger reported, “The Han State cannot defend Shangdang and wishes to cede it to the Qin State. However, the officials and people of Shangdang are willing to join Zhao State instead of submitting to Qin. We have seventeen cities ready to be integrated into Zhao; we will leave it to the king to reward the officials and citizens as you see fit.”
Delighted by this news, King Zhao summoned Lord Pingyang, Zhao Bao, to inquire, “Feng Ting wants to cede Shangdang to Zhao State; should we accept it?”
Zhao Bao responded, “Currently, the Qin State is slowly but surely annexing Han territory, effectively isolating Han from Shangdang. They believe they can sit back and take Shangdang without resistance. The fact that Han chooses not to cede Shangdang to the powerful Qin but offers it to us is essentially an attempt to shift their troubles onto Zhao State. The strong Qin State has been trying to acquire it daily but has been unable to do so. Instead, the weaker Zhao is set to gain from this situation, which amounts to a windfall that is harmful and not beneficial in the long run.”
