Lu Wenshu of the Western Han Dynasty, a native of Julu, began his career as a prison warden. When the local governor inspected his work, he recognized Lu's exceptional talent and strongly recommended him to higher authorities. This led to Lu's appointment as an imperial advisor in charge of judicial affairs, a position of great trust from the court.
Lu Wenshu was a passionate learner from childhood, devouring classics like the *Book of Songs*, *Book of Documents*, and *Spring and Autumn Annals* until he mastered their principles. After becoming a prison clerk, he dove into legal texts, memorizing every statute and applying them with such skill that fellow officials flocked to him with their toughest cases.
After Emperor Xuan of Han ascended the throne, the number of major criminal cases in the court grew increasingly, and countless people were implicated and interrogated. Lu Wenshu was deeply worried about this; he submitted a memorial to the emperor, advising him to promote benevolence and use punishment sparingly. He said:
I have heard that the Qin Dynasty had ten major faults, and one of them still persists today: an overemphasis on legal officials. The Qin neglected culture, favored military might, disdained benevolent scholars, and prioritized those who managed penal affairs. Words of righteousness were branded as slander, and speech that pointed out errors was called heresy. Thus, refined Confucian scholars were never employed, while honest and practical advice was suppressed in people's hearts, and flattering voices filled the emperor's ears day in and day out. This is why the Qin fell.
"Now the nation relies on the emperor's great grace, with no disasters of war or famine. Everyone strives for national prosperity, yet a golden age has not emerged—this is the result of misapplied laws."
“Criminal cases are matters of life and death—once a person dies, they cannot be brought back. The *Book of Yu* states: Human life is of utmost importance; trials must be conducted with caution, and no innocent person should be wrongfully executed. Yet today’s officials in charge of criminal justice do not follow this. They enforce punishments with excessive harshness, cases multiply, and prisons become overcrowded.”
"Human emotions are fundamentally simple: peace brings joy, pain brings despair. Under the lash, what confession cannot be extracted? Jailers exploit prisoners' fear, forcing them to admit guilt—if they resist, torture follows. Based on such coerced testimony, even the legendary judge Gao Yao, hearing the case, would deem the accused guilty beyond redemption. This is the nation's true calamity! Thus I say: the greatest peril under heaven is the penal system; none corrupt the law and defy morality more than those who administer it. If Your Majesty will heed diverse voices, practice benevolence, and temper punishment, then the era of peace will surely endure as long as heaven itself."
Emperor Xuan heeded Lu Wenshu's advice and promoted him to the position of Chief Steward of Guangyang.
"Death is not enough for his crimes" means that even execution cannot atone for one's offenses. Later used to describe extreme heinousness.
Source: *Book of Han*, "Biography of Lu Wenshu"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "死有余辜" came to describe how even execution cannot atone for one's offenses.