literary inquisition; persecution of intellectuals
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
literary inquisition; unjust case fabricated by rulers deliberately extracting words from an author's writings to frame charges
formalRefers specifically to the historical practice in imperial China (especially Ming and Qing dynasties) where scholars were persecuted based on perceived political criticism in their literary works.
Qīng清
cháo朝
de的
wén文
zì字
yù狱
yóu尤
wéi为
cán残
kù酷
，
xǔ许
duō多
wén文
rén人
yīn因
cǐ此
sàng丧
mìng命
。
The literary inquisitions of the Qing Dynasty were particularly cruel, costing many scholars their lives.
Tā他
yīn因
juǎn卷
rù入
yī一
chǎng场
wén文
zì字
yù狱
ér而
bèi被
liú流
fàng放
biān边
jiāng疆
。
He was exiled to the frontier after becoming entangled in a literary inquisition.
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Wén文
zì字
yù狱
shì是
Zhōng中
guó国
fēng封
jiàn建
shè社
huì会
tè特
yǒu有
de的
wén文
huà化
xiàn现
xiàng象
。
Literary inquisition is a unique cultural phenomenon of China's feudal society.
Lì历
shǐ史
shàng上
，
tǒng统
zhì治
zhě者
cháng常
cháng常
lì利
yòng用
wén文
zì字
yù狱
lái来
dǎ打
yā压
yì异
jiàn见
。
Throughout history, rulers often used literary inquisitions to suppress dissent.