Zou Yang, a literary figure of the early Western Han Dynasty, first served under King Liu Pi of Wu, writing a letter to dissuade him from rebelling against the Han court. When Liu Pi ignored the advice and later died, Zou Yang became a retainer of King Xiao of Liang, mingling with rivals like Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui. Jealous of Zou Yang's talent, they constantly slandered him before the king, who grew so enraged that he threw Zou Yang into prison, intending to have him executed.
Zou Yang, stranded in a foreign land and fearing a secret death at the hands of slanderers, wrote a letter to the King of Liang from prison to plead his case. In the letter, he recalled how Su Qin, while serving as prime minister of Yan, was defamed before the king. The King of Yan, enraged, drew his sword and silenced the gossips, then bestowed rare delicacies upon Su Qin, who remained loyal ever after. Zou Yang argued, "If a ruler sets aside arrogance and treats talented men with utmost sincerity, then 'the dog of Jie can be made to bark at Yao, and the follower of Zhi can be sent to judge You'—any task will be done willingly, for the master's grace runs deep." Moved by the heartfelt words, King Xiao of Liang released Zou Yang and honored him as a guest of highest esteem.
The idiom "Jie's Dog Barks at Yao" means: a servant serves his master without questioning right or wrong. Later, it also refers to a villain's henchmen attacking good people.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biographies of Lu Zhonglian and Zou Yang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "桀犬吠尧" came to describe a servant serves his master without questioning right or wrong. Later, it also refers to a villain's henchmen attacking good people.