烂羊头 — “Rotten lamb's head”

During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the imperial court was deeply corrupt. The power struggle between the empresses' relatives and the eunuchs was incessant.

Both factions, in their bid to consolidate influence, indiscriminately conferred official posts. The variety of titles awarded was vast, and even small merchants and cooks found themselves donning embroidered official robes.

The common people, full of resentment, composed a folk song that reflected their dissatisfaction: 'Fed by the stove, he becomes a Zhonglangjiang (Court Gentleman). A rotten lamb's stomach, he becomes a Qiduwei (Cavalry Commandant). A rotten lamb's head, he becomes a Guan Nei Hou (Marquis of the Interior).'

This idiom, '烂羊头' (rotten lamb's head), subsequently became a sarcastic reference to these undeserved and corruptly bestowed official positions.