During the Western Han Dynasty, in Pingling (northwest of modern-day Xianyang, Shaanxi), there lived a man named Zhu Yun. Towering in stature and bold in character, he was renowned throughout the capital Chang'an for his love of making friends and his eagerness to help others.
By the age of forty, Zhu Yun decided it was time to dedicate himself to learning, so he studied the *Book of Changes* under the esteemed scholar Bai Ziyou and also mastered other schools of thought. As a result, he earned the deep respect and admiration of the scholar-official class.
In 44 BCE, the deputy magistrate of Huayin County recommended Zhu Yun to Emperor Yuan of Han for the position of imperial censor, but the court ministers opposed it so fiercely that the appointment failed.
During the Han Dynasty, several schools of thought studied the *Book of Changes*. The Emperor Yuan's favored minister, Wulu Chongzong, specialized in the Liangqiu school's interpretation and, believing himself unmatched in knowledge, looked down on others. He frequently invited scholars to debate, but because he was both eloquent and relied on his imperial influence to bully opponents, scholars eventually declined to participate.
One day, someone said to Wulu Chongzong, "Zhu Yun of Pingling is the most renowned scholar of the *Book of Changes*. If you can refute him, you will be unmatched in the world."
Wulu Chongzong invited Zhu Yun to debate, but Zhu Yun not only answered Wulu Chongzong's difficult questions with ease but also questioned Wulu Chongzong into silence, embarrassing him on the spot.
When Emperor Yuan of Han heard about Zhu Yun, he recognized his talent and appointed him as a court scholar, later assigning him as magistrate of Duling and Huailing counties.
Though Zhu Yun had become a county magistrate, his fiery nature remained unchanged. Deeply frustrated by the incompetent ministers at court, he repeatedly submitted memorials attacking Chancellor Wei Xuancheng, earning the chancellor's bitter resentment. When Zhu Yun was later implicated in a murder case, Wei Xuancheng seized the opportunity to submit a slanderous report, and Zhu Yun was stripped of his post and reduced to commoner status.
In 33 BC, Emperor Yuan died and Emperor Cheng ascended the throne, prompting Zhu Yun to submit a memorial requesting an audience.
A few days later, Emperor Cheng summoned Zhu Yun, who said before the assembled ministers:
"Your Majesty, these ministers cannot advise the Son of Heaven above nor benefit the people below—they are all mere placeholders drawing salaries. I beg you to grant me the imperial sword, to make an example of one and warn the rest! First, I will kill the Marquis of Anchang, Zhang Yu!"
The court officials were stunned. Emperor Cheng, seeing Zhu Yun demanding the execution of his own imperial tutor, flew into a rage and ordered the guards to drag him away. Zhu Yun refused to let go, clutching the railing before the hall so tightly that as the guards pulled, the railing snapped.
At this moment, General Zuo Xin Qingji, moved by Zhu Yun's bold and unyielding integrity, knelt and pleaded, "Zhu Yun's fearless remonstration is the proper conduct of a minister. Executing him will invite criticism from future generations. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider."
Seeing that Xin Qingji had knocked his head until blood streamed down his face, Emperor Cheng's anger gradually subsided. He realized Xin Qingji's argument was sound—though Zhu Yun had been somewhat disrespectful, he had not violated the proper conduct of a minister, and his words could serve as a warning to all officials. So the emperor ordered his attendants to release Zhu Yun and let him return home.
Later, people used the idiom "holding a sinecure" to describe occupying a position while eating idle food without doing any work; sometimes it is also used self-deprecatingly to indicate having done nothing.
Source: *Book of Han*, "Biography of Zhu Yun"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "尸位素餐" came to describe occupying a position while eating idle food without doing any work; sometimes it is also used self-deprecatingly to indicate having done nothing.