In 221 BCE, Qin Shi Huang unified the six warring states, establishing China's first centralized feudal empire. He standardized weights, measures, writing, currency, and legal codes across the realm, a monumental achievement that profoundly shaped Chinese economic and cultural development. To cement his dynasty's rule, the First Emperor embarked on numerous imperial tours, sacrificing at sacred mountains and rivers to proclaim his might and virtue.
In 219 BCE, Emperor Qin Shi Huang made his eastern tour, ascending Mount Tai to perform the grandest ceremony of heaven and earth—the Fengshan sacrificial rites. He then traveled south to Mount Langya in Shandong, where he lingered for over three months, ordering the construction of Langya Terrace and erecting a stele inscribed with the "Langya Terrace Inscription." The inscription lauded the Qin dynasty's major policies and the emperor's achievements, praising him: "He cares for the common people, toiling day and night without rest. He dispels doubts and establishes laws, so all know what to avoid. The regional lords fulfill their duties, and governance is smoothly executed. Every measure is proper, and nothing deviates from the standard. The emperor's wisdom surveys all corners of the realm."
Emperor Qin Shi Huang once ordered the relocation of 30,000 commoners to Langya, exempting them from taxes for twelve years. The stele inscription praised him as a ruler who cared deeply for his people, laboring tirelessly from dawn to dusk without ever slacking. He enacted laws that met the public's needs, while local officials had clear duties and worked in seamless cooperation. Every affair and policy was arranged with perfect order, all unified under a single system of regulations. The emperor's brilliance lay in his constant personal inspections across the land, gathering firsthand knowledge and making judgments with unerring accuracy.
Later, from the phrase "actions must be appropriate," the idiom "inappropriate actions" evolved, used to describe actions and measures that are unsuitable.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Basic Annals of Qin Shi Huang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "举措失当" came to describe how actions and measures that are unsuitable.