杜邮之戮 — “The unjust execution of a loyal minister”

杜邮之戮 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the unjust execution of a loyal minister”. Often referring to someone wrongly punished despite their contributions. Literally, “The execution at Duyou”.

Frequency

杜邮之戮 Pronunciation and Pinyin

杜邮之戮 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
杜	dù	7	prevent or stop
邮	yóu	7	postal service
之	zhī	4	possessive or connective particle
戮	lù	15	kill, slaughter, massacre

Example Sentence with 杜邮之戮

他尽职尽责，却因小人诬陷而遭受杜邮之戮，令人惋惜。

He diligently performed his duties, but was unjustly executed due to slander from petty individuals, which is truly regrettable.

Origin and Story of 杜邮之戮

In the late Warring States period, Lord Wuan (Bai Qi), a prominent general, was ordered by King Zhaoxiang of Qin to inspect the territory outside the capital.

When he reached Duyou, about ten li west of Xianyang, an envoy from the king arrived, bearing a decree for Lord Wuan to commit suicide with a short sword.

Lord Wuan questioned what crime he had committed, but under immense pressure, he had no choice but to draw his sword and take his own life.

The common people, seeing that he had died innocently, spontaneously commemorated his death every year on its anniversary.