万马齐喑 — “Ten thousand horses all mute”

During the Qing Dynasty, Gong Zizhen, a prominent thinker, was deeply concerned about the corrupt government. He championed reforms and advocated for a ban on opium, but his progressive ideas were not embraced by the imperial court. Disheartened and unappreciated, he resigned from his official post at the age of 48 and chose to live in seclusion.

One day, while traveling through Zhenjiang, he witnessed local people performing rituals to worship a deity. Moved by the stagnant state of affairs and the suppression of talent, he penned a famous poem that included the lines: "The life force of the nine provinces relies on wind and thunder; it is truly lamentable that ten thousand horses are all mute. I urge the heavens to stir themselves once more, and send down talents without sticking to a single pattern."

The phrase '万马齐喑' (wan ma qi yin) from his poem vividly captured the prevailing atmosphere of intellectual suppression and lack of vitality, where capable individuals were unable to speak up or contribute, and society seemed silent and stagnant.