Cao Cao, styled Mengde, was a descendant of Cao Can, a prime minister of the early Han Dynasty. Skilled in strategy and quick to adapt, he was also bold and decisive. Rising amid the chaos of the late Han, when heroes vied for power, he "held the emperor hostage to command the nobles," and the puppet Emperor Xian of Han obeyed his every command.
In 213 AD, Cao Cao launched another campaign against Eastern Wu, achieving a great victory and capturing the Wu commander Gongsun Yang. Emperor Xian of Han sent the imperial censor Xi Zhi with a ceremonial staff to enfeoff Cao Cao as the King of Wei, the decree filled with praise: "Your loyalty to the state is noble, your spirit shines through the sun. You have roused your martial might and wielded divine strategy to save the nation from peril—even the great ministers Yi Yin and the Duke of Zhou of the Shang and Zhou dynasties cannot compare to you!"
Later, the idiom "Piercing the Sun with Spirit" came to describe a righteous spirit so powerful it could move the heavens.
Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, "Book of Wei: Biography of Emperor Wu"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "精贯白日" came to describe a righteous spirit so powerful it could move the heavens.