Chen Zhongwei was a renowned imperial censor during Emperor Duzong's reign in the Southern Song Dynasty. At that time, Emperor Duzong sought comfort in a corner of the realm, spending his days indulging in wine and pleasure, entrusting all state affairs to Grand Tutor Jia Sidao.
Jia Sidao, a notoriously corrupt prime minister in Chinese history, exploited Emperor Duzong's incompetence to wield absolute power, ruthlessly purging rivals and frequently threatening to resign whenever things didn't go his way.
Meanwhile, the Mongol Empire in the north rose swiftly. After Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty, he conquered the Jin and Liao kingdoms, rapidly seizing most of northern China. Emperor Duzong of the Song Dynasty, addicted to pleasure and terrified of war, lacked the resolve to resist. His chancellor Jia Sidao concealed the truth from the front lines and refused to send reinforcements, allowing territory to slip away and the crisis to deepen, pushing the Southern Song to the brink of collapse.
Chen Zhongwei, deeply troubled by the state of affairs, boldly submitted a memorial directly accusing the powerful minister Jia Sidao of ruining the country, and even held Emperor Song Duzong partially responsible. In his remonstrance, he drew parallels from Song Dynasty history, arguing that the reigns of Emperor Huizong in the Northern Song and Emperor Gaozong in the Southern Song were no different from the present: treacherous ministers held power. These corrupt officials initially fawned over the emperor to enjoy wealth and glory, but when facing enemies like the Liao and Jin, they groveled without a shred of national integrity, earning only the scorn of later generations.
In his memorial, he urged Emperor Duzong of Song and Jia Sidao to take history as their mirror, to repent fully and not bring ruin upon the state—and ultimately, upon themselves.
However, Emperor Duzong of Song ignored Chen Zhongwei's counsel and continued to trust Jia Sidao. It was only after Duzong's death, when Empress Dowager Xie took power, that Jia Sidao was finally exiled. But soon after, Yuan forces breached Lin'an, and the Southern Song dynasty collapsed.
Later, the idiom "Servile and Obsequious" came to describe fawning flattery and submissive groveling.
Source: *History of Song*, "Biography of Chen Zhongwei"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "奴颜婢膝" came to describe fawning flattery and submissive groveling.