TERMBASES
Harsh and cruel laws
are more horrifying even than a tiger. The expression comes from The Book of Rites. The story goes that
when Confucius (551-479 BC) was passing the foot of Mount Tai, he saw a woman weeping on a
grave. He sent Zilu(542-480 BC) over to inquire. The woman said there were many tigers in
the area and that she had lost three of her family to them, but because the
local laws were not harsh, she did not wish to move away. Confucius sighed and
said, “Tyranny is fiercer even than a tiger.”
This is a criticism of harsh government, and an exhortation to rulers to
reduce taxes and cut conscript labor, and to treat their subjects with
compassion. It is an expression of Confucian principles of benevolent rule.