Chinese Idioms: 商鞅變法，作法自斃

 The movie “關鍵公敵(Mercy)” trailer. In this trailer, the protagonist says, "I helped create the 'Mercy' program."

While many idioms describe situations in which a person is harmed or trapped by their own actions, only this idiom has its origin linked to law and legislation.

商鞅變法，作法自斃

商鞅 was a person.

• "變法" refers to the significant overhaul of a nation's existing laws, regulations, and systems.
• "作法自斃" describes a situation in which the laws one establishes ultimately lead to one's own downfall or harm.

The six characters "變法、作法自斃" tell the story of 商鞅's life, from his rise to fame to his death. 

Let's first get to know 商鞅.

商鞅 (390–338 BCE) was a politician and strategist during the "戰國時期(Warring States period (475–221 BCE) )" and one of the key representatives of the 法家(School of Law).

法家, often translated as Legalism, advocated for the creation of strict laws to govern the people. 

Its philosophy on governance was entirely from the ruler's perspective, focusing on how a sovereign could organize and control the government effectively to maximize national wealth and territorial expansion. 

They believed that achieving such things was possible only through an absolute monarchy—a system in which the ruler has absolute power over their domain.

Since 法家 was a school of thought that formulated stringent laws for rulers to manage the populace, its key figure, 商鞅, was undoubtedly harsh and unfeeling. Such a person is bound to offend others.

After finalizing the planning for his major overhaul of laws and regulations, 商鞅 performed an act: He placed a large log at the southern gate of the city wall and announced that anyone who moved this log to the northern gate would receive ten gold pieces as a reward. Because the command was so peculiar, the public only observed; no one attempted it. A few days later, the reward increased to fifty gold pieces.  Finally, someone could not resist the temptation and moved the log from the south gate to the north gate. 商鞅 did indeed pay the fifty gold pieces. The people then believed that "the government does not deceive." Only then did 商鞅 officially promulgate his new laws.

The harsh laws caused widespread discontent, even among the nobility. In fact, the Crown Prince broke the law at that very moment! However, since he was the future King, he could not be punished. Instead, the Crown Prince's teacher was punished. The punishment was public and severe, visible to everyone. After that, no one dared to defy the law again.

Ten years later, the King passed away, and the Crown Prince succeeded to the throne. The New King's teachers accused "商鞅 of plotting a rebellion!" and dispatched officials to capture him with all their might.

商鞅 began his escape and arrived at a national border checkpoint as darkness fell. He sought lodging at an inn, but the innkeeper told him, "According to the laws established by 商鞅, those who give lodging to unidentified persons will be implicated and punished if discovered." The innkeeper refused to let him stay.

商鞅 sighed, saying,“作法自斃矣！(The very laws I established have brought me to this plight!)” 

Later, "作法自斃" became an idiom used to describe being hoisted by one's own petard, or suffering the consequences of one's own actions.

Now, we know that the emphasis of the entire phrase lies in "作法自斃" (to be ruined by one's own policy). That is,  one's previous actions lead to the current dilemma. There are many similar idioms. Today, we will introduce two of them:

玩火自焚 and 咎由自取.

Similar Idiom: 玩火自焚、咎由自取

• 玩火自焚
• 玩火 to play with fire
• 自焚 to burn oneself

  This idiom originates from a passage in the《左傳．隱公四年》that compares starting a war to playing with fire. Without restraint, one will eventually bring the fire upon oneself, resulting in death by burning. It is used to describe people who act recklessly or rashly and will ultimately suffer the consequences of their own actions.

• 咎由自取
• 咎 calamity
  
• 由 = 原由 origin
• 自取 to proactively obtain or fetch oneself. 
  You may see this term posted in some stores, such as this sign in a hot pot restaurant, that says diners have to get utensils and sauces on their own because service personnel will not deliver them to the table. 
  

  Therefore, based on these meanings, "咎由自取" means "calamity caused by oneself."

How To Use 

• 作法自斃
• 經理推行了嚴苛的考勤制度，結果自己也因遲到而被懲處，真是作法自斃。
  The manager implemented a strict attendance policy, yet he was penalized for being late. This is a classic case of being hoisted by one's own petard.

• 玩火自焚
• 他不斷在金融市場進行高風險投機，勸他也不聽，最終玩火自焚，血本無歸。
  He engaged in high-risk speculation on the financial market, ignored advice, and ultimately lost all his capital. It was a case of playing with fire and getting burned.

• 咎由自取
• 這名偷竊慣犯屢勸不聽，再次被捕，他現在的下場只能說是咎由自取。
  This habitual thief ignored repeated warnings and was arrested again. He is now suffering the consequences of his own actions.

I hope you found this useful! To master these words, make sure to check out the video above for native audio examples. Happy learning!