Chinese Wisdom in Xi's Words: Scraping poison off the bone

BEIJING -- Chinese leader Xi Jinping has lately renewed the vow to carry on the critical and protracted battle against corruption.

At a group study session of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Friday, Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, called on Party cadres to have the courage to face problems squarely and be braced for the pain, and remain firm in fighting corruption, removing its roots, and clearing away its negative influence, so as to ensure the Party's nature remains unchanged and our socialist country stands forever.

The talk of "being braced for the pain" and "removing its roots" in the Chinese language is a reference to a popular allusion --"scraping poison off the bone" -- often cited by Xi when he talked about the fight against corruption.

The idiom came from the story of Guan Yu, a general during China's late Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) known for his loyalty and bravery in battles. When Guan was once wounded by a poisonous arrow in battle, as the story in the Records of the Three Kingdoms goes, he had a doctor treat his wound by cutting open the flesh and scraping the poison from the bone.

Xi referred to the idiom in his speech at a plenary session of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in 2014. He said the whole Party should demonstrate the courage to scrape poison from the bone in carrying the anti-corruption campaign through to the end.

In a report Xi delivered at the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, he made the same allusion as he emphasized the importance of retaining a tough stance on corruption.

While acknowledging the achievements in the fight against corruption, the Chinese leadership knows clearly that the situation is still tough and complex. At Friday's group study session, Xi urged more efforts to carry the fight through to the end.