党同伐异 — Chinese Idiom

In 141 BC, Liu Che ascended the throne, becoming Emperor Wu of Han. In his second year as emperor, he issued an imperial edict, commanding court officials, local lords, and prefects to recommend virtuous and learned individuals. Soon after, over a hundred talented scholars were sent from various regions. Emperor Wu ordered each of them to write an essay on how to govern the country. Among them, a scholar named Dong Zhongshu wrote an excellent piece. Emperor Wu personally summoned him twice and questioned him extensively. After replying, Dong Zhongshu submitted two more essays, which the Emperor also found very satisfactory. Dong Zhongshu's three essays all discussed the relationship between Heaven and man, hence they were collectively known as the "The Three Strategies on Heaven and Man" (《天人三策》), also referred to as "Proposals for Recommending the Virtuous and Learned" (《举贤良对策》). The theory advocated within them was called the "Interaction between Heaven and Man" (天人感应). This theory deified feudal rule, especially the emperor's power, asserting that anyone who opposed the emperor was opposing "Heaven" and was thus rebellious and impious.

To implement this theory, Dong Zhongshu put forward three suggestions in his "Three Strategies on Heaven and Man": firstly, to consider all other schools of thought (诸子百家) as heresies and ban them, while exclusively honoring Confucius and his Confucian classics. This was aimed at achieving political unity through cultural control, known as "discarding all other schools of thought and honoring Confucianism alone" (罢黜百家；独尊儒术). Secondly, to establish a supreme academy for teaching Confucian classics. Thirdly, to recruit talents from all over the land and ensure their loyal service to the court.

Dong Zhongshu's proposal of "discarding all other schools of thought and honoring Confucianism alone" perfectly aligned with Emperor Wu's desire for unifying the empire. After gaining full power, he established "Five Classics Doctors" specializing in Confucian teachings, who lectured on five Confucian classics such as "Classic of Poetry," "Classic of History," "Classic of Changes," and "Spring and Autumn Annals" to fifty disciples. These disciples were examined annually; those who mastered one classic could become officials, and those with excellent performance could hold high positions. Later, the number of doctoral disciples continuously increased, reaching up to three thousand at its peak.

By the time Emperor Xuan (Liu Xun) reigned, Confucianism had become the dominant ideology for maintaining feudal rule, and Confucian scholarship flourished. Emperor Xuan himself arranged for the renowned Confucian scholar Xiao Wangzhi to teach the crown prince. However, because Confucian scholars at the time had different interpretations of the Five Classics, Emperor Xuan decided to hold a discussion. In 51 BC, led by Xiao Wangzhi, a large-scale discussion was held at Shiqu Pavilion, the imperial library and lecture hall. During the discussions, Confucian scholars formed cliques with those who shared their views, uniting with them; conversely, they attacked those whose views differed. In his commentary on this phenomenon, the author of the *Book of Later Han* (《后汉书》) referred to it as "党同伐异" (dǎng tóng fá yì), meaning to collude with one's own faction and attack dissidents.