During the late Tang Dynasty, as political corruption deepened and regional warlords clashed, Zhu Wen—a military governor who rose to power by suppressing the Huang Chao rebellion—seized control of the Central Plains from his base in Bianzhou, becoming the era's most formidable warlord.
Zhu Wen, a warlord of the late Tang Dynasty, had a ruthless advisor named Li Zhen, a man of cruel and cunning nature who, having failed the imperial examinations multiple times in his youth, harbored a deep grudge against the court ministers.
In 900 AD, the eunuch Liu Jishu seized Emperor Zhaozong during a drunken stupor, deposed him, and installed Crown Prince Li Yu as emperor. He then sent envoys to Bianzhou, seeking support from the warlord Zhu Wen. Li Zhen advised Zhu Wen, "Use the pretext of rescuing the emperor to eliminate the eunuchs and seize control of the court."
Zhu Wen followed Li Zhen's advice and sent him to the capital Chang'an to contact Chancellor Cui Yin to plot a major move. Soon, Cui Yin led troops into the palace, killed the eunuch Liu Jishu, and restored Emperor Zhaozong to the throne. For his role, Zhu Wen was enfeoffed as the Prince of Liang, and from then on, he trusted Li Zhen even more.
In 904 AD, the warlord Zhu Wen executed the chancellor Cui Yin and his allies, then forced Emperor Zhaozong to relocate the capital to Luoyang, reducing the emperor to a mere puppet. Zhu Wen's trusted advisor Li Zhen was frequently dispatched to Luoyang to spy on the emperor and his ministers.
Li Zhen, a petty man who had risen to power, strutted about arrogantly, looking down on everyone and ordering others around with his chin. Every time he went to Luoyang, he would demote several people he disliked. As a result, court officials called him "Chi Xiao" (an owl) behind his back.
In 905 AD, the warlord Zhu Wen ordered his advisor Li Zhen to collude with Chancellor Liu Can in demoting over thirty high-ranking officials and exiling them to remote posts. Nursing a grudge from his own repeated failures in the imperial exams, Li Zhen vented his fury by branding these officials as frivolous and corrupt, then had them all thrown into the Yellow River to drown.
In 907 AD, Zhu Wen overthrew the Tang Dynasty and declared himself emperor, founding the Later Liang regime. Li Zhen, having earned merit, was appointed Minister of Revenue, making him even more arrogant and overbearing. However, just seventeen years later, the Later Liang was destroyed by the Later Tang, and Li Zhen's entire family was executed.
Later, people used the idiom "Vigorous Gestures and Arrogant Orders" to describe commanding others with chin movements and an overbearing attitude.
Source: *Old History of the Five Dynasties*, "Book of Liang", "Biography of Li Zhen"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "颐指气使" came to describe commanding others with chin movements and an overbearing attitude.