Did Xi Jinping threaten to hit the heads of enemies or was he lost in the translation?
On the occasion of the 100th triumphant anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, President Xi Jinping spoke strong words to the countrys opponents: Foreigners who bully China will bleed and get their heads hit. Thats what Xi said, literally. But what he really meant with this seemingly violent language sparked a fierce debate among scholars of Chinese politics. The ruling partys centenary on July 1 was the most important event on Chinas political calendar this year, celebrated with massive propaganda campaigns across the country. At the center of it all was the Chinese leaders hour-long speech on Thursday morning, a message carefully researched for clues to the countrys leadership under the strongman. The president used a common Chinese phrase, made up of four characters that literally mean break your head, blood spills, as he pledged to defend China against malicious foreign forces. But the familiar use of the idiom doesnt always conjure up the image of broken skulls and a river of blood. The idiom is used in daily conversations and writings in China to describe a persons state of health following a fight or accident. You could say, for example, I fell and had my head broken and blood was flowing. Some analysts and reporters have argued that Xi took the term simply to express a sense of determination, but others said his appearance in a carefully scripted event could indicate something closer to a threat of war. Many English-speaking media have adopted its literal and bloody meaning. The Chinese people will never allow foreign forces to intimidate us, oppress us or enslave us, a quote translated by The New York Times. Whoever harbors illusions of doing this will break his head and spill blood on the Great Wall of steel built from the flesh and blood of 1.4 billion Chinese people.  A Sky News The headline reads: Chinese Xi Jinping Launches Bloodshed Warning to Foreign Powers at Communist Party Centenary Event.   But the bloody reference was toned down in an official English translation of the key speech. We will never allow any foreign force to intimidate, oppress or submit to us, the quote says in an English transcript released by the government. Anyone attempting to do so would find themselves on a collision course with a great wall of steel forged by more than 1.4 billion Chinese.   Sebastian Veg, a professor at the cole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, said some of the militarized languages had roots in the era of Mao Zedong. Its definitely an idiom and shouldnt be taken too literally. On the other hand, its definitely a stylistic flourish, he said, adding that Audience cheers showed that they understood the meaning of the remark. In an era of growing political polarization, we have seen political language become more violent in many countries around the world, both democratic and undemocratic.  Former US President Donald Trump once compared Americas trade deficit with China to rape. Australian Home Secretary Mike Pezzullo warned to beat drums war in April, amid mounting tensions between the Chinese and Australian governments, but was later urged by other politicians to ease it. This is not the first time that Xi has used aggressive language towards Beijings enemies. During a visit to Nepal in 2019, the president warned that anyone attempting to divide China would end with crushed bodies and broken bones  another popular idiom that could be used to describe anything from a badly damaged car with the determination to eliminate another person. . Wu Qiang, an independent political scientist in Beijing, said that throughout the history of the Communist Party, the phrase broken heads and spilled blood has often been used to describe Beijings defeat against United Nations forces. led by the United States during the Korean War of 1950-1953. China was fighting alongside North Korea. Its like blowing the whistle and re-imagining people in the Korean War, Wu said, arguing that the stern warning was primarily aimed at the domestic public. It emphasizes confrontation and is used to incite anti-American and anti-Western sentiment.  Chairman Mao used the same sentence in 1959 to refer to how one would fail if they didnt follow objective rules that couldnt be changed by humans. Wu said that under Maoist ideology, the term has the meaning that since the party holds the objective truths, those who oppose it are doomed to failure. In October, Xi said in a speech Marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, the battle proved that any country or army, no matter how strong, would be broken head and blood will be shed if it tried to challenge the development of the world. Under Xis leadership, the Chinese government adopted more aggressive rhetoric to defend its foreign policy interests. He also blamed human rights movements in China on foreign forces to justify an intensification of the crackdown on dissent. Many Chinese celebrated the tough leadership style as a symbol of national strength. In his speech, Xi again presented the Communist Party as the guardian of the Chinese people who ended the humiliating history of the nation and brought it on the path of rejuvenation. At home, it seemed to have worked. The remark that enemies would have their heads broken and blood would flow sparked a wave of nationalist backlash on Chinese social media, with more than 2 million users liking a clip shared by state media on the site of Weibo microblogging. How lucky I am to have been born in China, reads a popular commentary.