During the Western Han Dynasty, there was a high-ranking official named Zhang Chang, known for his decisive governance and clear rewards and punishments, which earned him an excellent reputation.
At the height of General Huo Guang's power, when his achievements made him untouchable and no one in court dared speak against him, Zhang Chang openly criticized the general's excessive military spending, arguing that significant savings were possible—a rebuke that left Huo Guang deeply displeased.
Shortly after Emperor Xuan of Han ascended the throne, bandits ran rampant in the Bohai and Jiaodong regions, forming gangs to loot shops, plunder wealthy estates, and even attack government offices to free their imprisoned comrades. The local officials, too afraid to intervene, let the lawlessness spiral out of control, plunging society into chaos.
Zhang Chang learned that those regions had suffered poor harvests for years, leaving the people in dire straits, with some forced into banditry. So he volunteered to go there and restore order. Emperor Xuan of Han appointed him Governor of Jiaodong and bestowed upon him thirty jin of gold as an imperial gift.
Zhang Chang requested the emperor before departing, "In places with extremely poor social order and customs, without clear rewards and punishments, it is impossible to demand people stop evil and pursue good. Please allow Your Majesty that anyone who achieves merit in capturing thieves and bandits shall receive rewards higher than those of the Three Adjuncts (the Han dynasty's Capital Region, Left Fufeng, and Right Fufeng)."
The emperor granted this request.
Zhang Chang arrived in Jiaodong and immediately issued a notice: bandits must cease their criminal activities at once; if they capture and kill each other, their crimes can be offset; if government officials perform meritorious service in pursuing bandits, their names may be reported to the Imperial Secretariat for promotion to reserve county magistrates.
As a result, former bandits abandoned their evil ways, vying to redeem themselves through good deeds, while officials competed in arrests, with dozens earning appointments as county magistrates. Before long, theft vanished entirely, and society returned to peace.
Another matter: the capital region had long been notoriously difficult to govern. Several previous governors had been dismissed for incompetence. An imperial advisor suggested to the emperor, "Let Zhang Chang serve as governor of the capital."
Due to years of lax law enforcement, the capital region of Jingzhao was overrun with thieves, leaving merchants constantly vulnerable to theft. When Zhang Chang took office, he employed a strategy of both reward and punishment. First, he discreetly inquired among local elders to identify the chief of the thieves. Summoning this ringleader, Zhang Chang sternly warned him, "I will spare you from punishment for now. Bring me every thief in Jingzhao, and you will earn your redemption."
The thief leader said, "If we summon all these people to the authorities at once, they will certainly be too terrified to come. I request that you first appoint me as a minor official, so I can trick them into the trap." Zhang Chang granted his request and made him a "minor clerk."
The thieves all came to celebrate, believing they now had a "protector" inside the government and could steal with even greater boldness. The thief leader hosted a banquet, and they drank heavily until each was dead drunk. The leader then smeared red mud on the backs of all their clothes. When the feast ended, the thieves staggered out, stumbling in all directions. The government agents waiting outside arrested everyone with red mud on their clothes, capturing several hundred people in a single sweep.
Zhang Chang dealt with them harshly, punishing anyone with a criminal record according to the law
Later, the idiom "clear rewards and punishments" came to describe rewarding what deserves reward and punishing what deserves punishment, handled with clarity and fairness.
Source: *Book of Han*, "Biography of Zhang Chang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "赏罚分明" came to describe rewarding what deserves reward and punishing what deserves punishment, handled with clarity and fairness.