不寒而栗 — “To tremble with fear”

During the reign of Emperor Wu in the Western Han Dynasty, there was an official named Yi Zong. His sister, Yi Xun, a doctor, had cured the Empress Dowager, earning her favor. Through this connection, Yi Zong was appointed by Emperor Wu. He started as a county magistrate in Shangdang Commandery and was later promoted to Chang'an county magistrate. During his tenure, he strictly upheld the law, showing no partiality, and was unafraid to offend powerful individuals, which greatly improved local public order. Emperor Wu recognized his talent and transferred him to be the Commandant of Henei Commandery, and later the Grand Administrator of Nanyang.

At that time, Nanyang was home to a customs official named Ning Cheng, who was known for his brutality and abuse of power, terrorizing the local populace. People feared him, and even officials passing through dared not offend him. It was said that having Ning Cheng as an official was like putting a flock of sheep under the care of a wolf.

When Ning Cheng heard that Yi Zong was coming to Nanyang as Grand Administrator, he became uneasy. On the day Yi Zong took office, Ning Cheng, with his entire family, respectfully stood by the roadside to welcome him. Yi Zong, aware of Ning Cheng's intentions, ignored him. Upon assuming his post, Yi Zong immediately dispatched people to investigate Ning Cheng's family. Anyone found guilty was executed, and ultimately, Ning Cheng himself was convicted. This act so terrified local prominent wealthy families like the Kong and Bao clans, who also had past misdeeds, that they fled Nanyang.

Later, Emperor Wu transferred Yi Zong to Dingxiang (in present-day Inner Mongolia), where public order was chaotic. Upon arrival in Dingxiang, Yi Zong re-sentenced over two hundred criminals who had received lighter penalties to death. Simultaneously, he arrested more than two hundred family members who had privately visited these prisoners in jail, accusing them of attempting to cover up crimes, and sentenced them all to death.On that day, over four hundred people were executed. Despite the weather not being cold, people in the region who heard this news were so terrified that they shivered uncontrollably (不寒而栗).

Yi Zong's enforcement of the law was severe, but it also involved arbitrary killings. Sima Qian, in his "Records of the Grand Historian," categorized Yi Zong as a 'cruel official'.