tremble and obey

Calque of Chinese 凜遵／凛遵 (lǐn zūn), a phrase historically used in Chinese imperial edicts.

tremble and obey (third-person singular simple present trembles and obeys, present participle trembling and obeying, simple past and past participle trembled and obeyed)

1. (idiomatic, chiefly China) To unthinkingly obey or pander to authorities, especially the Chinese government.
   • 1949, Bertrand Russell, Authority and the Individual:

     The ordinary voter ... feels himself their humble subject, whose duty is, as the Chinese used to say, to “tremble and obey”.

   • 2005, James McGregor, One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China‎, page 153:

     Never “tremble and obey” if doing so will damage or destroy your business in China.

   • 2017, Stephen Vines, “Those who think the Umbrella Movement failed need to learn a little history”, in Hong Kong Free Press‎:

     ... the previous colonial government and the current tremble-and-obey government have helped foster the myth of a historically politically apathetic and selfish society ...

2. (historical, China) Phrase promulgating a decree of the Chinese imperial government or the early British colonial administration in Hong Kong.
   • 1857, Thomas Wade, “Translation of a Paper forwarded by His Excellency the Governor of Macao”, in J. C. Parkinson, editor, Government Examinations‎, page 124:

     Let the good tremble and obey; let them not act so as to have hereafter to repent. A special Proclamation.