Wang Jia, a native of Pingling (present-day northwest of Xianyang, Shaanxi) during the Western Han Dynasty, was known for his unwavering integrity and boldness. In 4 BCE, Emperor Ai of Han, Liu Xin, appointed him as Chancellor. Wang Jia frequently offered the emperor sound advice and recommended talented individuals, earning the emperor's deep trust.
Emperor Ai of Han had a favorite named Dong Xian, a handsome man with no real talent but a gift for flattery, earning him the emperor's deep affection. They were inseparable, sharing the same carriage on every outing.
As the saying goes, "When one person achieves enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." After Dong Xian gained favor, all his family members became officials of various ranks in the court.
Emperor Ai ordered a magnificent mansion built for Dong Xian north of the imperial palace, outfitted with the finest decorations and furnishings. Whenever foreign states sent rare treasures as tribute, the emperor always awarded the most precious ones to Dong Xian, keeping only the second-best for himself.
And so, Dong Xian, despite having made no contributions to the state, became the most powerful noble of the late Western Han simply by winning the emperor's favor. Yet Emperor Ai still sought every means to grant Dong Xian further honors.
Emperor Ai had no heir and was in poor health, prompting some royal family members to plot for the throne. Prince Liu Yun of Dongping and his queen, Ye, hired a shaman to perform curses, hoping the emperor would die quickly. When court officials Xifu Gong and Sun Chong learned of this, they drafted an impeachment memorial and submitted it to Emperor Ai through a eunuch.
Emperor Ai immediately ordered all implicated prisoners executed. After the case was closed, he prepared to reward those involved. Imperial Advisor Fu Jia advised Emperor Ai, "Change Song Hong's name to Dong Xian on the reward list and grant him a marquisate." The emperor complied, but faced fierce opposition from Chancellor Wang Jia and Imperial Censor Jia Yanlian, who jointly protested. Emperor Ai had no choice but to abandon the plan.
Months later, Emperor Ai ignored his ministers' objections and issued an edict granting Dong Xian the title of Marquis of Gao'an. When Wang Jia learned of this, he again voiced fierce opposition. The emperor grew displeased and from then on kept his distance from Wang Jia.
In 2 BCE, Emperor Ai of Han, following his grandmother Empress Dowager Fu's final wishes, granted Dong Xian an additional two thousand households. Wang Jia urgently submitted a memorial, warning, "Your Majesty, Dong Xian abuses your favor and acts recklessly, stirring public outrage. As the saying goes, 'Pointed at by a thousand fingers, one dies without illness.' He will come to no good. I implore you to prioritize the state and cease such actions!"
Emperor Ai was deeply displeased by Wang Jia's sharply worded memorial, accusing him of the crime of deceiving the sovereign and forcing him to take poison to commit suicide. Wang Jia resolutely refused. The emperor then imprisoned him. After fasting for over twenty days, Wang Jia vomited blood and died.
After Wang Jia's death, Dong Xian's power grew until it nearly rivaled the emperor's.
But this good fortune lasted only a little over a year. After Emperor Ai died, Empress Dowager Wang dismissed Dong Xian on the grounds that he "did not meet the people's expectations." Dong Xian fell from heaven to earth, utterly disheartened, and committed suicide. All his family wealth was confiscated, totaling 4.3 billion coins.
Later, people used the idiom "Pointed at by a Thousand Fingers" to describe someone whose vile conduct provokes public outrage.
Source: *Book of Han*, "Biography of Wang Jia"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "千夫所指" came to describe how someone whose vile conduct provokes public outrage.