刘毅答诏 — “To dare to admonish the ruler”

刘毅答诏 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to dare to admonish the ruler”. To speak truth to power, offering candid and fearless advice. Literally, “Liu Yi answers the imperial edict”.

Frequency

刘毅答诏 Pronunciation and Pinyin

刘毅答诏 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
刘	liú	6	Chinese surname Liu
毅	yì	15	resolute and firm
答	dá	12	answer, reply, respond
诏	zhào	7	Imperial edict or decree

Example Sentence with 刘毅答诏

在项目评审会上，他敢于刘毅答诏，直接指出了方案中可能存在的风险。

At the project review meeting, he dared to "Liu Yi da zhao" by directly pointing out the potential risks in the proposal.

Origin and Story of 刘毅答诏

During the Jin Dynasty, the emperor once took Liu Yi on a tour to the southern suburbs. The emperor asked Liu Yi which Han Dynasty emperor he thought he was comparable to. Liu Yi frankly replied that His Majesty could only be compared to Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling.

The emperor sighed, acknowledging that he might not be as great as the ancients, but emphasized that he governed with self-restraint and strove diligently for the unity of the realm.

Liu Yi immediately responded, stating that Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling sold official posts to replenish the national treasury, whereas His Majesty sold official posts for personal gain. In this particular aspect, he asserted, the emperor was even inferior to those ancient rulers.