坑儒焚书 — “Bury scholars alive and burn books”
坑儒焚书 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to suppress intellectual freedom and destroy cultural heritage by persecuting scholars and burning books; a drastic measure to eliminate dissenting thought and knowledge”. Literally, “Bury scholars alive and burn books”.
坑儒焚书 Pronunciation and Pinyin
坑儒焚书 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 坑儒焚书
Origin and Story of 坑儒焚书
In the 34th year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's reign, adopting the advice of his Prime Minister Li Si, the Emperor viewed Chunyu Yue's proposal to reinstate the feudal system as private scholarship slandering imperial policies.
Consequently, he ordered all historical records, except for the "Qin Ji", to be surrendered and burned.
When scholars like Lu Sheng expressed dissatisfaction, Qin Shi Huang ordered the arrest of over 460 alchemists and Confucian scholars, whom he then buried alive in pits in Xianyang.
Idioms Related to 坑儒焚书
Synonyms of 坑儒焚书
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Open the tool →Questions about 坑儒焚书
What does 坑儒焚书 mean?
坑儒焚书 (kēng rú fén shū) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to suppress intellectual freedom and destroy cultural heritage by persecuting scholars and burning books; a drastic measure to eliminate dissenting thought and knowledge”.
How do you pronounce 坑儒焚书?
坑儒焚书 is pronounced kēng rú fén shū in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 坑儒焚书 literally mean?
Literally, 坑儒焚书 means “Bury scholars alive and burn books”. It is used to mean “to suppress intellectual freedom and destroy cultural heritage by persecuting scholars and burning books; a drastic measure to eliminate dissenting thought and knowledge”.
Where does 坑儒焚书 come from?
坑儒焚书 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 坑儒焚书?
坑：活埋；焚：烧。焚毁书籍，坑杀书生