During the Xianfeng and Tongzhi reigns of the Qing Dynasty, the Nian Rebellion erupted as the people, unable to bear the government's heavy oppression and exploitation, rose in support. The Qing court, thrown into panic, mobilized generals like Senggelinqin, Yuan Jiasan, and Mao Changxi, leading cavalry and infantry in a fierce crackdown. The once-mighty Nian Rebellion was ultimately crushed.
However, a few perceptive officials within the ruling class clearly recognized that the Nian Rebellion was essentially a case of "officials driving the people to revolt." For instance, Mao Changxi stated in a memorial, "The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Nian Rebellion were provoked by corrupt officials. These bad officials, beyond regular taxes, used every means to extort the people's hard-earned wealth for their own pockets, filling the people with such deep resentment that today's calamity was inevitable. When appointing local officials now, we must select those who are capable and incorruptible, not the greedy and insatiable... The more severe the exploitation of the people, the greater the disaster." He therefore advised the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to "promote frugality and diligence, have each province appoint good officials, allow the people to recover and rebuild, and thus restore the prosperity that once existed."
Despite Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Tongzhi offering generous compensation because Mao Changxi's plea was sincere, their daily lives remained as extravagantly wasteful as ever, while corrupt officials swarmed like summer flies. By the late Qing Dynasty, society was riddled with holes, already beyond repair.
Later, the idiom "Jing Ming Qiang Gan" came to describe someone who is sharp, perceptive, and highly capable in handling affairs.
Source: *Draft History of the Qing*, "Biography of Mao Changxi"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "精明强干" came to describe how someone is sharp, perceptive, and highly capable in handling affairs.