During the early Western Han Dynasty, the emperor's relatives were enfeoffed as feudal kings across the land, with some kingdoms controlling dozens of cities. The kingdoms of Wu, Chu, and Qi alone held half the empire's territory. These kings acted with impunity within their domains, posing a serious threat to the imperial court. In the third year of Emperor Jing's reign (154 BCE), the kingdoms of Wu and Chu, along with five others, launched an armed rebellion, known in history as the "Revolt of the Seven Kingdoms." The court sent General Zhou Yafu to crush the rebels, dealing a heavy blow to the regional separatist forces.
During the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, Emperor Jing's younger brother, Prince Xiao of Liang, Liu Wu, sided with the imperial court. He dispatched his imperial advisor Han Anguo to lead troops against the rebels, preventing them from crossing Liang's borders to threaten the capital. This feat made Han Anguo a celebrated figure.
However, Prince of Liang's conduct was indiscreet. Believing himself the emperor's brother, he matched the imperial lifestyle in extravagance, which displeased Emperor Jing. The Empress Dowager, sensing this, temporarily refused to receive the prince's envoys. Realizing the situation, Prince Liang urgently dispatched Han Anguo to the capital to plead his case.
Han Anguo arrived in the capital
"Prince of Liang is filial as a son and loyal as a subject. Why does the Empress Dowager not see this? When the Seven States of Wu and Chu rebelled, the Prince wept like rain at the thought of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in danger. Does this not prove his loyalty and filial piety?"
The princess nodded in agreement. Han Anguo, seeing his words had effect, continued:
"When I led the army to confront the rebels, the Prince of Liang personally knelt to see me off. His efforts in quelling the Wu-Chu rebellion were considerable, clearly showing his loyalty to the court. He is accustomed to grand spectacles. His regal airs are merely to remind everyone that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor hold him in great favor."
Her words, both truthful and heartfelt, deeply moved the princess. She immediately relayed them to the Empress Dowager, who, eager for brotherly reconciliation, summoned Emperor Jing and had the princess repeat the speech.
Emperor Jing of Han was delighted, his displeasure toward Prince Liang of Liang completely dispelled. He summoned Han Anguo and bestowed generous imperial gifts from the emperor. The Empress Dowager and the Grand Princess, grateful for Han Anguo's mediation, also rewarded him separately. This incident made Han Anguo famous throughout the land.
But unfortunately, Han Anguo later broke the law and was imprisoned in Meng County (in present-day Mengyin County, Shandong Province). The jailer Tian Jia was a snob who often bullied him when he fell from power. Once, after being humiliated by him, Han Anguo said angrily:
"Are you treating me like dead ashes? Can't dead ashes be rekindled?" This means, once you fail, can you never rise again and achieve victory? Tian Jia sneered coldly and said maliciously, "If the dead ashes do rekindle, I'll piss on them to put them out!"
Han Anguo was so furious that he could not speak, but at that moment, he had no way to deal with this petty man.
Soon after, the King of Liang sought to appoint a new favored minister as the imperial secretary overseeing civil affairs. Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager disapproved of this choice, insisting that Han Anguo was more suitable for the post. Thus, Han Anguo was released from prison and became the King of Liang's imperial secretary.
After Han Anguo was reinstated, the prison warden Tian Jia of Meng County, fearing retaliation, immediately abandoned his post and fled.
Han Anguo did not send anyone to pursue him. Instead, he spread word everywhere, saying, "If Tian Jia does not return immediately, I will kill his entire family, men, women, young, and old!"
When Tian Jia heard the wind of this, he was scared out of his wits. After much deliberation, he finally steeled himself to return and humbly beg Han Anguo for forgiveness.
Han Anguo mocked Tian Jia, who was kneeling on the ground, saying, "Now that my dead ashes have rekindled, go ahead and piss on them!" Tian Jia, his face ashen, repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy. Han Anguo finally smiled and said, "Get up. I won't punish you anymore. Someone like you isn't worth my revenge!"
The idiom "dead ashes rekindled" is derived from this story. Originally meaning regaining power after losing it, it now generally refers to the resurgence of eliminated evil forces or harmful ideas, carrying a negative connotation.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Han Changru"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "死灰复燃" came to describe how something that was once lost or extinguished can regain power or influence, now often referring to the revival of eliminated evil forces or harmful ideas.