During the Ming Dynasty, Ma Fang, the Deputy Commander of Ji Town, had a grandson named Ma. From a young age, Ma immersed himself in military texts, starting his career in the army at a modest rank. His talents caught the eye of Grand Secretary Sun Chengzong and Governor Yuan Chonghuan, who recognized his potential. Through repeated military achievements, Ma steadily rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Deputy Commander himself, tasked with guarding the Xuzhou region.
During the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, peasant uprisings erupted across the land, plunging society into chaos and leaving the imperial court teetering on the brink of collapse. Amid this turmoil, General Ma fought tirelessly on all fronts, deploying every strategy and resource at his disposal in a desperate bid to shore up the crumbling regime.
In the fifteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, a massive Hui Muslim uprising erupted in Gansu. Ma, serving as the regional commander-in-chief, led three deputy generals—Wang Shichong, Wang Jiachun, and Lu Yinchang—to suppress the rebellion. They beheaded over 700 rebels and pacified 38 tribes, briefly securing a fragile peace for the crumbling Ming dynasty.
However, internal conflicts within the ruling class were also extremely acute. That winter, Commander Sun Chuanting ordered the transfer of Ma's troops, but Ma, believing himself to be "distinguished in merit," disregarded the order and completely ignored it.
Sun Chuanting, furious, submitted a memorial to the emperor, accusing Ma of defying military orders.
The emperor dispatched investigators to uncover the full story, and after learning how Ma had managed to suppress the people's rebellion, he allowed Ma to atone for his crimes through future merit, warning, "We will watch your subsequent performance; if you fail, this sword shall be your end."
Upon returning to the army, Sun Chuanting did not let Ma off easily—he punished Ma for defying orders while simultaneously sending a memorial to the emperor, fabricating a long list of charges against him.
Fortunately, the emperor still had use for him at the time and issued a decree, ordering him to remain in a state of atonement and conduct himself properly.
Later, the idiom "Dai Zui Tu Gong" came to mean making contributions while still bearing guilt, implying atoning for one's crimes through meritorious deeds.
Source: *History of Ming*, "Biography of Ma Fang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "戴罪图功" came to describe how making contributions while still bearing guilt, implying atoning for one's crimes through meritorious deeds.