What is the Chinese warning. The origin of the expression "the last Chinese warning"

The expression "the last Chinese warning" is pronounced most often in an ironic form. After all, such a warning remains “in words” and does not pose any real threats, no sanctions will follow.

Moreover, both parties, both the warned and the warning, know about it. But sometimes strict notes also slip through, when a person was warned several times about the same thing, but he does not understand everything. That's when the "last Chinese warning" is made. Of course, in this case, it is still better to listen. And then, you know, “once at a time it doesn’t have to” - “once a year and the stick shoots.”

The origin of this expression is connected, of course, with China. Let's take a little excursion into history. Since China became known in Europe, various European states have tried more than once to conquer and colonize this rich eastern country.

It was normal for the European aristocracy to grab a “tidbit” from another state and establish their political and economic influence, thereby enriching themselves at the expense of this colonized country. After all, they exalted themselves above all and reserved the right to interfere in the life of other peoples, whom they considered secondary and undeveloped. It was such a second-rate country that China seemed to Europeans.

Constant interference in the affairs of China, numerous internecine wars, the extermination of the indigenous population, the spread of drug addiction led to a great impact on the life of the country. However, after the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the civil war, China nevertheless got out of the influence of other states, if not completely, but still, most of Europe's influence on China was lost. However, China lost its integrity, there was no centralized power, and the country became disunited and stuck in an internecine struggle for power.

After the Second World War, the political world was divided into two camps - NATO led by the United States and the Soviet Union with the Warsaw Pact countries. An irreconcilable confrontation began for influence on third world countries. China did not escape such a struggle, where the interests of the USSR and the USA converged. There was a split in the Chinese Communist Party. On the one hand, Mao Zedong, supported by the Soviet Union, and on the other, Chiang Kai Shek, pro-American.

In 1949, the Great Mao took over, and his opponent and his remaining associates settled on the island of Taiwan, where they proclaimed the creation of a separate state, which China did not officially recognize.

Mao Zedong, relying on the support of the USSR, began to revive and build a new state. The situation between China and Taiwan was extremely tense. The reason for this was not only the hostility of the two countries, but also the conflict over the disputed islands.

The United States, which did not recognize the Chinese government, took an active part in this so-called Taiwan conflict. Assistance to Taiwan was both financial and military. And the constant collection of intelligence information through drone flights over the territory of China only contributed to the heating up of an already difficult situation. At that time, China had little that could oppose the United States and oppose them militarily. Nevertheless, the indignant side tried to somehow "save its face" and the prestige of the country on the world stage, influencing the offender with the help of diplomacy.

For each violation of the airspace, China submitted a note of protest to the UN demanding “take action” and a “last warning” about an adequate response in case such actions were repeated by the United States, which, in turn, did not react at all to all these warnings and continued to “bend their line." During the entire period of this conflict from 1954 to 1958, about 9,000 such “last Chinese warnings” were filed.

The Chinese side recorded 8220 violations of the state border, more than 300 attacks, including from the air. It must be admitted that the Chinese, too, "did not remain in debt." They shot down several American drones, fired at the territory of Taiwan several times, but the matter never went beyond this.

All the world's media regularly reported on the course of the Taiwan conflict, so very quickly the expression "the last Chinese warning" became a household name and world famous. So they began to talk about the situation when the border of what is permitted was crossed, and the warning made with countermeasures would still not be fulfilled. Even if this situation repeats, no serious actions will follow, and everything will remain as it is. And both sides of the conflict know about it.

One more conflict should be mentioned, this time on the Soviet-Chinese border in 1969 due to Chinese claims to Damansky Island, located on the Ussuri River.

There was everything here - the illegal planned border crossing by the Chinese military, skirmishes, the dedication of the Soviet border guards, especially in the first days of the conflict, the dead, the wounded and, of course, numerous "last Chinese warnings".

For half a year, approximately as long as the conflict lasted, 328 such warnings have accumulated. Although there were not as many of them as in the Taiwan conflict, but the exact number of "the last Chinese warnings" crashed into the minds of Soviet citizens. On this occasion, a joke about the “328th last Chinese warning” even appeared in everyday speech. This only added to the popularity of this expression, which later became a household word and, having lost its political overtones, finally took on a playfully ironic connotation.

This is how the expression "the last Chinese warning" became a symbol of fruitless warnings, showing the impotence of the warning side.

Throughout the history of existence, mankind has accumulated an enviable baggage of "winged" expressions. Many of them people say almost daily, but rarely does anyone think about how, where and under what circumstances such phrases arose. The meaning of the phraseological unit “the last Chinese warning” can be understood by delving a little into history and considering the events of sixty years ago.

From the moment it was discovered on the map, China has become a target for numerous colonialists, each of whom dreamed of getting a share of the territories of the New World. The Celestial Empire was weakened after the First World War, so it could not repulse the annoying invaders. The islands were a frequent subject of dispute, so in one of the important historical events the struggle was fought between the two sides:

• the leader of the Chinese Republic, Mao Zedong, who made great efforts to revive and strengthen the communist state;
• his opponent Chiang Kai-shek, who is trying to recreate his own model of communism on the island of Taiwan.

The confrontation led to the Taiwan conflict, where the island lands became the subject of the dispute.

The United States took the side of Chiang Kai-shek and provided political and military support to his state. The United States has repeatedly neglected China's air and water borders, sending reconnaissance equipment to its territory. This kind of invasion caused a storm of negativity and indignation among the leadership of the Chinese state. The Celestial Empire rebuffed the violators by sending its first "Chinese warning" to the Americans through the UN. However, both sides were well aware that China was unable to provide adequate resistance, because its resources were depleted during military operations. Therefore, the Chinese could only send their warnings in response to every illegal action of the United States.

Each such message was about taking decisive action to protect their borders, but these were only words that could not carry any real threat. Although the document was drawn up according to all the rules, no one attached importance to its content.

Historians say that more than 9000 such "last warnings" were sent! This is where this expression first came from, meaning empty threats or, in “card” language, a bluff.

After the Taiwan confrontation, the expression "Chinese warning" was colored with notes of irony and sarcasm. No one took the Chinese seriously, even the press scoffed, publishing more and more new messages, the serial number of which had long exceeded one thousand. But the Chinese, for some unknown reason, stubbornly refused to acknowledge the futility of their measures, so the second wave of warnings was not long in coming.

This time, the Soviet Union acted as an adversary of China, the two states could not divide Damansky Island in any way. In 1969, the conflict caused a new stream of "Chinese warnings" now towards the USSR. By this time, the whole world openly laughed at the Celestial Empire, people used this expression, which became “winged”, in everyday life, sometimes adding a serial number to it. But in the struggle for Damansky, the number of "peaceful intimidations" was significantly reduced and amounted to only 328, each of which was not followed by decisive action.

Conclusion

Looking into the history of the now mighty power, it is easy to understand where this expression came from and why it is ironic. The phrase about the Chinese warning, which has become an idiom, means empty threats, words of intimidation, promises of serious consequences that will not be fulfilled. But the days when China was ridiculed by the whole world because of its helplessness are long gone. Now it is one of the most influential states, the conflict with which is unlikely to end with the distribution of unfounded warnings that amuse others and their direct addressee.

After the discovery of China by Europeans for many European powers, it became a "tasty morsel", which they began to share with virtually impunity. All European countries that began the colonization of China considered it a "second-class power." Therefore, they, without a twinge of conscience, unleashed wars, ruthlessly destroyed the indigenous population, poisoned it with opium and seized territories, which led to the actual transformation of China into a semi-colony of several European powers. After the Xinhai Revolution of 1911 and the civil war that followed, China completely fell apart, losing several dozens of centralized state power.

This continued until the Great Mao came to power in China, whose iron will allowed him to revive and create at least something resembling a state in his long-suffering country. But at the initial stage of the formation of an independent Chinese power, China was not yet able to give a serious rebuff to its opponents. It was from that moment that the official Chinese authorities, trying to maintain state authority and prestige, began to send diplomatic notes to their enemies with final warnings, perfectly aware of their hopelessness.

Taiwan conflict

It is believed that the largest number of "last Chinese warnings" were issued during the Taiwan conflict of 1954-1958. The conflict between China on the one hand and Taiwan and the United States on the other arose over the disputed islands. The United States, while not recognizing the Chinese communist government, actively helped and protected Taiwan, which was building its own type of communism. During the conflict, Chinese airspace was constantly violated by American reconnaissance drones.

The Chinese authorities, outraged by such shamelessness, sent endless diplomatic warnings to the Americans through the UN, of which, according to some reports, there were about 9,000. The United States did not respond to all the Chinese warnings to “take action” and continued to send their drones. Some of the reconnaissance aircraft were shot down by the Chinese, but they did not dare to take more serious steps. At that time, the world media wrote a lot about "the latest Chinese warnings", which made this expression a household word and widely known.

Conflict near Damansky Island

In 1969, another conflict took place, this time between China and the USSR near Damansky Island, which also caused a flood of "last Chinese warnings" with which the Chinese government bombarded the USSR Foreign Ministry. This time, there were far fewer warnings, only 328, as always, they did not have any serious consequences for the USSR. After this conflict, politically literate citizens of the Soviet Union began to use the phrase "328th last Chinese warning" in their everyday speech.

Human history knows many catchphrases that have taken on a life of their own over time. True, later, as a rule, it was forgotten on what occasion they were uttered. The expression "the last Chinese warning" in this list is no exception.

The most surprising thing is that a popular saying that appeared in the Soviet Union originates in the confrontation between China and Taiwan in the 1950s and 1960s of the last century. After the end of World War II, two political camps formed in China. One of them was led by the conservative political party Kuomintang. It was led by the United States-backed Marshal Chiang Kai-shek, an active opponent of communist ideas. He was opposed by the Communist Party of China, whose leader at that time was the legendary Mao Zedong. In 1949, the Communists came to power in mainland China, and Chiang Kai-shek, who lost the political battle to them, was forced to emigrate to Taiwan. Here he headed the Chinese government-in-exile. For several decades, Chiang Kai-shek combined the two highest government posts of President and Supreme Commander of the armed forces of the Republic of China. Until the early 1970s, the United States and major Western countries recognized Chiang Kai-shek as the sole legitimate ruler of China, while the USSR supported the government of Mao Zedong.

Latest Chinese Warning

Between the two parts of unevenly divided China, numerous political conflicts and military clashes constantly occurred. Communist Chinese authorities consistently responded with angry warnings to Taiwan and the United States. In turn, the official propaganda of the Soviet Union regularly voiced numerous Chinese warnings in the voice of the famous All-Union radio announcer Yuri Borisovich Levitan. The most interesting thing is that each of them was presented as the last one, after which communist China threatened its opponents with the use of military force. It is not surprising that the citizens of the Soviet Union, once again hearing the last Chinese warning, only smiled ironically.

How many can there be?

The military-political disagreements between the authorities of Taiwan and mainland China have long been in the past, and the catchphrase, born in the USSR, still continues to live. As a rule, it is used when one person threatens another with certain sanctions, not intending to introduce them in practice. Such warnings are in no way limited either in quantity or in time. After all, the total number of Chinese warnings made by China to the United States and Taiwan exceeded 900 by 1964 alone.

Last Chinese warning. Last thing. And very Chinese. The meaning itself is intuitive even for those who do not use this phraseological unit in their speech. It means some kind of warning, on which everyone put the bolt. That is something like:

- Marina, as your husband, I warn you for the last time - do not shave my legs with a razor !!! And not that...

“Yeah, yeah, the last Chinese warning?”

Let's figure out where the legs grow from this last warning. Yes, and certainly Chinese.

This expression is already sixty years old. It appeared at the time when Mao Zedong came to power in China in the 1950s, and the former ruler of China, Chiang Kai-shek, tried, in spite of Mao, to organize a new government in Taiwan.

The United States defiantly and fundamentally did not recognize the power of Mao, but Chiang Kai-shek supported with all his Pendos forces. And they liked to provoke China with all sorts of different actions - such as flying over sovereign territory or swimming in territorial waters.

Naturally, the Great Mao did not like this at all. But, unfortunately, China was then still extremely weak to respond in such a way that it would not seem small. So the only thing left for the Chinese was to send official notes of protest, on which the Yusovites put a bolt with all their capitalist hatred.

Such notes of protest - the latest Chinese warnings - have accumulated over time a lot, they say, about nine thousand. And each said at the end - if you do not stop - we will take drastic measures. Of course it was funny. Some kind of backward China is trying to threaten an exclusive nation. The Western press enthusiastically picked up this story, developing it to the point of absurdity.

Domestic wits did not stand aside either. Just imagine, almost every day, from the radio speakers (I remind the younger generation, there was no Internet then), the strict and solemn voice of Levitan rushed at you: “The Chinese government, in connection with the violation of territorial waters, expressed a strong protest and a final warning to the US government.” Every day! Naturally, on the eleventh time it already caused laughter, and on the hundredteenth time - Homeric laughter.