河东狮子吼 — “Refers to a fierce and jealous wife's outburst of anger”

During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a literati named Chen Jichang, also known as Longqiu Jushi, who enjoyed hosting guests and keeping courtesans. However, his wife, Liu Shi, was extremely jealous and fierce.

Chen Jichang's friend, the famous poet Su Dongpo, once wrote a humorous poem for him: "Poor Longqiu recluse, talking endlessly through the night; suddenly heard the Hedong lion's roar, his staff dropped, his heart bewildered." Liu Shi was from Hedong, so "Hedong lion" referred to her. This is how the idiom "Hedong lion's roar" came to describe a fierce wife.

A famous episode, depicted in the play "The Roar of the Lioness" (狮吼记), illustrates this. One day, Su Dongpo invited Chen Jichang for a spring outing. Liu Shi, worried he would consort with courtesans, forbade him. Chen promised he wouldn't, and even agreed to be punished if he did. Later, Liu Shi discovered that courtesans indeed accompanied them. Upon his return, she threatened to beat him. After much pleading, Chen was made to kneel by a pond instead.

When Su Dongpo visited and saw Chen Jichang in this state, he deemed it a disgrace for a man and scolded Liu Shi. A quarrel ensued, and Liu Shi, believing Su Dongpo instigated her husband's outing with courtesans and was meddling in her family affairs, promptly threw him out.

As for why Chen Jichang was so submissive, Liu Shi once tearfully declared when he lied: "If you disobey even a little, heavens! I will either cut my throat or hang myself!" This dramatic threat was her ultimate weapon. In comparison, Chen Jichang chose to comply.

Ironically, the story suggests that Liu Shi's strictness, rather than allowing Chen Jichang to indulge, made him focus on his studies and achieve something, perhaps a better outcome than unchecked debauchery.