Chinese Idiom: 不寒而栗 (Bu Han Er Li)
English Translation: Shivering without being Cold
pīn yīn: bù hán ér lì
Idiom Meaning: Used to describe someone who is extremely frightened or horrified; it can also refer to feeling a shiver of fear upon hearing or witnessing something unsettling.
Historical Source: Records of the Grand Historian (《史记·酷吏列传》)
Idiom Story:
During the Western Han Dynasty, a man named Yi Zong rose to prominence despite his dubious past as a thief. His sister, Yi Xiu, was a favored doctor to the empress dowager, which helped Yi Zong secure an official position. Initially serving as a minor county magistrate, Yi Zong was later appointed as the governor of Dingxiang (present-day southeastern Inner Mongolia).
Yi Zong was infamous for his brutal methods of governance. He would impose harsh penalties for minor offenses and was known for his ruthless treatment of the local population. In Dingxiang, he continued his cruel practices, executing over four hundred individuals in a single day. This included prisoners who had been lightly sentenced and people who had visited the prisoners in an attempt to alleviate their suffering.
The terror he instilled was so intense that the people of Dingxiang were said to be “shivering without being cold” upon hearing of his deeds. His reign of fear was so effective that even the local nobles and officials who might have colluded with each other were too terrified to act.
From this story, the idiom “不寒而栗” emerged, capturing the essence of profound fear and the physical reaction of shivering as a result of extreme terror.
