During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Ling of Wei was an incompetent ruler who neglected state affairs, leaving all power in the hands of his wife, Nanzi. Because Nanzi was frivolous and behaved improperly, her reputation was very poor.
In 494 BCE, during his travels through the various states, Confucius arrived in the State of Wei with his disciples Zilu and Yan Hui.
Duke Ling of Wei knew Confucius was a great scholar and treated him with respect, even joking that they should become sworn brothers. Confucius, believing the Duke truly appreciated him and would soon offer him an important position, was delighted.
Nanzi, aware of Confucius's great reputation, sent someone to tell him, "Those who wish to become brothers with the Duke of Wei must first pay respects to me. I would like to meet you."
When Confucius went to the palace to meet Nanzi, she deliberately received him behind only a thin gauze curtain, jangling the jade pendants on her robes to flirtatiously show off, leaving Confucius extremely embarrassed.
When Confucius’s disciple Zilu learned of this, he fumed, accusing his teacher of compromising his dignity by meeting such a frivolous woman. Confucius, flustered, swore to heaven, “I went to see Nanzi because she holds real power in the State of Wei—I was there to promote my political ideals. If I’m lying to you, may Heaven strike me down!”
One day, Duke Ling of Wei and his consort Nanzi paraded through the city in a lavish carriage, accompanied by a eunuch named Yong Qu, while Confucius rode in a second carriage behind them. The duke proudly circled the bustling market several times, deliberately flaunting his authority, while Nanzi flirtatiously preened and made a spectacle of herself. Confucius angrily remarked, "Duke Ling is not a man who wants to govern his state well; he is merely a lecher."
After spending over a month in the state of Wei, Confucius saw that Duke Ling of Wei had no intention of giving him an important position, so he gathered his disciples and left.
Later, the idiom "swaggering through the streets" came to describe deliberately making a show in public to attract attention.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Hereditary House of Confucius"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "招摇过市" came to describe how deliberately making a show in public to attract attention.