"The last Chinese warning": the meaning of phraseology, the history of origin

Surely you have heard, and maybe even yourself have repeatedly made some last Chinese warning. The meaning of phraseology is understandable to many intuitively, but the history of this expression is also very interesting. Our article will tell you about all the details.

China in the midst of conflicts

A short digression into the history of the Celestial Empire will help us understand the meaning of phraseology "the last Chinese warning". This country with a unique culture and beautiful nature, populated by talented and hardworking people, from time immemorial attracted foreigners. But not all of them rushed to the Far East to admire the ancient architecture and taste unusual national dishes.

After China was discovered by European navigators, it became a real "tasty morsel". The Old World immediately and unhesitatingly labeled the new lands as a "second-class power". The colonialists rushed to the Middle Kingdom, trying to snatch a bigger piece.

Wars, devastation, destruction of cultural monuments, extermination of the local population - all this was done by aliens from the West practically with impunity. As a result, China was torn to a large number of colonies. The situation was further aggravated by the Xinhai Revolution of 1911. It was followed by civil war. China has practically collapsed. The centralized state power was completely lost.

Notes of Mao Zedong

This continued until the Great Mao came to power. His unshakable authority and iron will allowed to revive and re-create in the long-suffering Celestial at least some kind of state. However, at the initial stage, while the defense of independence was still in full swing, China in fact could not give a serious rebuff to any of the opponents.

From this moment the history of the latest Chinese warnings began. Where this expression came from is for certain unknown. Unfortunately, the history is silent about the first of the latest warnings. But it is precisely known that this happened during the reign of Mao. Trying to maintain the authority of the state in the international arena, the official Chinese authorities began sending diplomatic protests to their opponents. It is worth noting that the authors were perfectly aware of the hopelessness of these documents, but they simply could not do anything else.

And what was left for the authorities of a fledgling country to do, except how to warn a much stronger enemy? By the way, here you can hold a couple of analogies. A card sharper in a similar situation would say "bluff", and the representative of some youth subculture of the beginning of the XXI century would use the phrase "take to the ponts". Similar comparisons and the selection of synonymous expressions help to better understand the meaning of the statement about the last Chinese warning. As you can see, his main idea is to permanently frighten the opponent in the absence of real prospects of influence.

Taiwan conflict

In the early 50-ies of the twentieth century, Chiang Kai-shek came to power in Taiwan. Its representatives even took their place in the UN Security Council (only in the 1970s delegates of the DPRK were invited instead of them). America recognized its authority and during the conflict of 1954-1958 between Taiwan and China was on its side. The subject of strife was the disputed islands. In those days, under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, Taiwan tried to build its own model of communism. Strange as it may seem, the USA provided all-round support to this country, including military one.

During the armed confrontation, China's air and water space was repeatedly violated by American reconnaissance aircraft. The authorities of the Celestial Empire were indignant at such incursions. In response to blatant shamelessness, China, through the UN, began sending out the very "latest warnings" to the American side. Each of them was carefully designed according to all the rules, except for the implication and assignment of the serial number. Experts say that during the conflict of such warnings more than nine thousand people have accumulated! Moreover, each time the Chinese side assured that this time things are more serious now, and the warning will be followed by harsh retaliatory actions. However, the firing of drone more than once has not gone.

The reaction of the States

The US frankly ignored the messages of the Chinese, and the world press covered all the details of the confrontation, not forgetting to mention the next "last Chinese warning". The meaning of phraseology eventually acquired an ironic tinge. Journalists mocked the next official appeal of the Chinese, full of threats and assurances of the gravity of the situation, publishing even its three- or four-digit number.

328 recent warnings

Apparently the confrontation with the Americans and the complete fiasco with the notes of protest could not convince China of the ineffectiveness of such practices. After all, not much time has passed, as history repeated! This time, the Soviet Union was the opponent of the authorities of the Middle Kingdom. The reason for the conflict was Damansky Island, which both powers claimed.

China fell asleep with warnings from the Foreign Ministry of the USSR. They were exactly 328. It is necessary to admit that by that time everyone was already tired of the expression "the last Chinese warning". The meaning of phraseology allowed to use it quite widely, and it became so popular that in the end pall. Lighting in the press of the conflict around the island of Damansky revived the fading interest. The most advanced and politically literate Soviet workers, on occasion, began to jokingly make each other not just the last, but the last 328th Chinese warning.

How things have changed

The meaning and history of phraseology is a topic that is certainly interesting. But it is worth mentioning how things are with the Chinese national security today. Will it come to someone's mind to threaten the Heavenly Empire, counting on meaningless recent Chinese warnings? The meaning of phraseology refers to the history of this country, but in no way characterizes the current state of things.

The army of China is one of the three strongest in the world. The number of personnel exceeds 2.3 million people. China does not show aggression towards its neighbors, but is prepared to defend its own interests and, in the case of territorial claims, is unlikely to restrict itself to dispatching diplomatic papers.