Dou Ying, a cousin of Empress Dowager Dou from the Han Dynasty, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Weiqi, while Tian Fen, the half-brother of Empress Wang, was made Marquis of Wu'an. As the two dowagers vied for power, Dou Ying lost favor and was dismissed from office, living idly at home as a mere marquis. Tian Fen, eloquent and favored due to his connection to Empress Wang, remained in the emperor's good graces. Consequently, sycophantic officials and scholars abandoned Dou Ying to curry favor with Tian Fen.
After Empress Dowager Dou's death, Tian Fen became Chancellor, his power swelling and arrogance growing, while Dou Ying's household grew ever more desolate, with fewer and fewer visitors. Only the aging general Guan Fu remained loyal to him. Guan Fu was a man of blunt integrity, disdainful of flattery, and drawn only to heroic and chivalrous souls. He valued loyalty above all, was a heavy drinker, and often lost control in his cups. Having also fallen from power, Guan Fu saw his own circle of guests dwindle day by day, and he and Dou Ying found deep kinship in their shared misfortune, lamenting that they had not met sooner.
One summer, Chancellor Tian Fen held a wedding feast. Dou Ying and Guan Fu joined the celebration. When Tian Fen toasted the guests, everyone rose and bowed respectfully. Later, Dou Ying offered a toast, but only his old friends stood; the rest merely nodded. Guan Fu, angered by this slight, took the wine and made his rounds. Reaching Tian Fen, the chancellor remained seated and said arrogantly, "I cannot drink a full cup." Guan Fu, suppressing his fury, pressed, "On your happy day, please finish it." Tian Fen, unmoved, refused to drink.
Guan Fu felt insulted and suppressed his anger. Just then, Guan Xian and Cheng Bushi were whispering at the table. Guan Fu pointed at Guan Xian and cursed, "You usually call Cheng Bushi worthless, but now when an elder toasts you, you whisper with him like a woman..."
Tian Fen, seeing Guan Fu's reckless behavior, scolded him, "Cheng Bushi and Li Guang are both imperial guards. Now you publicly humiliate Cheng Bushi—don't you care about General Li's dignity?" Guan Fu, emboldened by drink, shot back, "I've thrown caution to the wind today—I don't care about any Cheng or any Li!" The other guests, sensing trouble, made excuses and slipped away. Furious, Tian Fen snarled, "This is all my fault for being too lenient with you." He then ordered Guan Fu arrested and thrown into prison.
Marquis Weiqi, Dou Ying, remembering his friendship with Guan Fu, sought to rescue him and petitioned the emperor, arguing that the matter was merely a trivial dispute over food and drink, unworthy of punishment. The emperor ordered Dou Ying to debate the case clearly before the Empress Dowager at the Eastern Palace, as both Dou Ying and Tian Fen were relatives by marriage.
During the debate, Dou Ying vigorously praised Guan Fu's military achievements for the state, claiming this was merely a drunken slip of the tongue. Tian Fen refused to let it go, saying, "Dou Ying and Guan Fu have gathered to plot treason, showing contempt for both palaces and disregarding the emperor and empress dowager. They secretly conspire against the court, truly committing an unforgivable crime."
The emperor sought the ministers' opinions: "Which of the two is correct in what they said?"
Imperial Censor Han Anguo replied, "Years ago, Guan Fu's father died for the nation. Guan Fu himself charged into the mighty Wu army with a halberd, killing over a dozen enemies alone and suffering severe wounds—a rare warrior indeed. This recent quarrel arose from drunken words, hardly an unforgivable crime. From this view, the Marquis of Weiqi is correct. Yet the Chancellor also has a point: Guan Fu has indeed befriended cunning villains and oppressed commoners, amassing a fortune of tens of thousands in gold. Only Your Majesty, with your brilliant judgment, can decide between them." Han Anguo's balanced response left the emperor uncertain how to rule.
After the court session ended, as they exited the Stop Carriage Gate, Tian Fen invited Han Anguo to ride in the same carriage. Angrily, he said, "You and I were supposed to deal with that old bald man Dou Ying together—what was there to fear? Why did you waver like a rat at both ends, afraid to state your opinion clearly? I want to have them all killed."
When the Empress Dowager learned of this, she deliberately shielded Tian Fen and pressured the emperor. Left with no choice, the emperor sent imperial censors to investigate, placed Dou Ying under house arrest, and had Guan Fu executed.
Later, "shou shu liang duan" came to mean hesitating between two options, wanting to advance yet also retreat. It describes indecisiveness, looking ahead and behind.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Weiqi and Wu'an Marquises"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "首鼠两端" came to describe how hesitating between two options, wanting to advance yet also retreat.