In 606 BC, King Zhuang of Chu, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period, marched under the pretext of attacking the Rong tribes of Luhun, arriving at the Luo River basin. He stationed his army outside the capital of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, Wangcheng (modern-day Luoyang), and staged a massive military review to intimidate the Zhou king. The timid King Ding of Zhou, terrified, hastily sent his minister Wangsun Man to offer condolences to the Chu army.
King Zhuang of Chu, who had long harbored ambitions to seize the Zhou dynasty's throne, saw the arrival of the Zhou envoy Wangsun Man as a perfect opportunity. He bluntly asked, "Tell me, how big and heavy are the Nine Tripod Cauldrons?"
During the Spring and Autumn period, the Nine Tripods—legendary bronze cauldrons cast by Yu the Great—symbolized supreme royal authority over all China. When the ambitious King Zhuang of Chu marched his army to the outskirts of the Zhou capital, he audaciously inquired about the weight and size of these sacred vessels. The Zhou envoy Wangsun Man, understanding the implied threat, replied, "A ruler's power lies in virtue, not in the possession of tripods. When virtue is bright, even small tripods are heavy; when virtue wanes, even great tripods become light." King Zhuang's question revealed his clear intention to challenge the Zhou dynasty's mandate, but the envoy's sharp retort reminded him that legitimacy cannot be seized by force alone.
Wangsun Man saw through King Zhuang of Chu's intentions and replied shrewdly, "A nation's rise or fall depends on whether its ruler holds moral authority in the people's hearts, not on possessing the Nine Tripods. In the past, when the Xia Dynasty enjoyed great moral prestige, people from afar offered images of strange wonders, and local lords presented bronze. Yu the Great cast these tributes into tripods, engraving them with depictions of ghosts and spirits to help the people recognize and guard against the uncanny. Thus, when commoners ventured into rivers, lakes, or deep forests, they encountered no demons or monsters, and harmony prevailed between ruler and subject, sharing Heaven's blessings."
Wangsun Man then warned King Zhuang of Chu with historical lessons from the tyrants Jie of Xia and Zhou of Shang, who lost their kingdoms through cruelty: "The weight and size of the Nine Tripods depend entirely on whether the ruler is virtuous or tyrannical. Heaven has decreed that the Zhou dynasty shall last thirty generations and rule for seven hundred years. Though the current Zhou king's power has waned, Heaven's mandate has not yet changed. Therefore, Your Majesty should never again inquire about the weight of the tripods."
King Zhuang of Chu realized he had met his match and slunk away in defeat.
"The idiom 'chi mei wang liang' originally referred to various harmful spirits in mountains and rivers, later used to describe all kinds of villains."
Source: *Zuo Zhuan*, "Duke Xuan, Third Year"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "魑魅魍魉" came to describe how the idiom 'chi mei wang liang' originally referred to various harmful spirits in mountains and rivers, later all kinds of villains.