三令五申 — “To repeatedly give orders and instructions”

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a renowned military strategist named Sun Wu, who brought his treatise, "The Art of War," to meet King Helü of Wu. After reading it, King Helü said, "I have read all thirteen chapters of your Art of War. Can we try it out with my army?" Sun Wu agreed. The King then asked, "Can we test it with women?" Sun Wu again agreed. So, King Helü summoned 180 palace beauties and asked Sun Wu to train them.

Sun Wu divided them into two teams, appointing two of King Helü's favorite concubines as captains, and instructed each woman to hold a long halberd. Once the formation was ready, Sun Wu asked, "Do you know how to turn forward, backward, left, and right?" The women soldiers replied, "We know." Sun Wu then explained, "To move forward, look at my chest; to turn left, look at my left hand; to turn right, look at my right hand; to turn backward, look at my back." The women soldiers said, "We understand."

Thereupon, Sun Wu ordered the iron axe (an ancient instrument of execution) to be brought out, and repeatedly gave them injunctions. After speaking, he beat the drum to give the command to turn right. To his surprise, the women soldiers not only failed to follow the order but burst into laughter. Seeing this, Sun Wu said, "If the explanations are unclear and instructions vague, it is the fault of the officers."

So, he thoroughly explained the commands again. Then, he beat the drum again, giving the command to turn left. The women soldiers still only laughed. Sun Wu then said, "If the explanations are unclear and instructions vague, it is the fault of the officers. However, if instructions are clear and still not obeyed, then it is the fault of the captains and soldiers." Having said this, he ordered his attendants to escort the two captains out and execute them.

King Helü, seeing Sun Wu about to execute his beloved concubines, hastily sent someone to plead for them. But Sun Wu said, "Since I have been appointed general, when the general is in command of the army, even the king's orders may not be obeyed!" He then ordered his attendants to execute the two female captains, and appointed two new front-rank soldiers as captains.

From then on, the women soldiers diligently practiced all movements, whether forward, backward, left, right, or even complex actions like kneeling and standing, daring not to trifle anymore. This story originated from the "Biography of Sun Zi and Wu Qi" in the "Records of the Grand Historian" (Shiji). Later, Sun Wu's repeated explanations and strong emphasis to the women soldiers were extended to the idiom "三令五申" (sān lìng wǔ shēn), meaning to repeatedly give orders and injunctions, emphasizing them strongly to ensure compliance or clarity.