proverb · Legacy record
If people no longer fear death how can you threaten to kill them?
If people no longer fear death how can you threaten to kill them?
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A death threat questioned when people no longer fear death exposes a limit of coercion. The saying asks whether the threatened consequence still controls its audience.
What the words are saying
A responsible interpretation describes the power argument without endorsing killing, demanding fearlessness or prescribing resistance through mortal risk. Fear can be understandable, and preserving life does not diminish dignity. The anthology label does not independently verify a historical speaker or incident.
Everyday example
A reader examines the coercion claim without treating a threat as justified or requiring someone to prove courage.
When to use it
Use it critically to discuss threats and power with survival respected.
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What it does not mean
No violence permission, duty to risk death or verified historical event is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
China
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 289; PDF page 31; collection label: China
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- China