"tremble and obey" meaning in English

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      "args": {
        "1": "凜遵"
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      "expansion": "凜遵／凛遵 (lǐn zūn)",
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  "etymology_text": "Calque from Chinese 凜遵／凛遵 (lǐn zūn), a phrase historically used in Chinese imperial edicts.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "trembles and obeys",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "trembling and obeying",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "trembled and obeyed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "trembled and obeyed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
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      "args": {
        "1": "tremble<> and obey<>"
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      "expansion": "tremble and obey (third-person singular simple present trembles and obeys, present participle trembling and obeying, simple past and past participle trembled and obeyed)",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1949, Bertrand Russell, Authority and the Individual:",
          "text": "The ordinary voter ... feels himself their humble subject, whose duty is, as the Chinese used to say, to “tremble and obey”.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, James McGregor, One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China, page 153:",
          "text": "Never “tremble and obey” if doing so will damage or destroy your business in China.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, Stephen Vines, “Those who think the Umbrella Movement failed need to learn a little history”, in Hong Kong Free Press:",
          "text": "... the previous colonial government and the current tremble-and-obey government have helped foster the myth of a historically politically apathetic and selfish society ...",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To unthinkingly obey or pander to authorities, especially the Chinese government."
      ],
      "id": "en-tremble_and_obey-en-verb-GAjjPv~a",
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          "unthinkingly",
          "unthinkingly"
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        [
          "obey",
          "obey"
        ],
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          "pander",
          "pander"
        ],
        [
          "authorities",
          "authorities"
        ],
        [
          "Chinese",
          "Chinese"
        ],
        [
          "government",
          "government"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, chiefly China) To unthinkingly obey or pander to authorities, especially the Chinese government."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "China",
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "91 9",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "to unthinkingly obey or pander to authorities",
          "word": "totella kyselemättä"
        }
      ]
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1857, Thomas Wade, “Translation of a Paper forwarded by His Excellency the Governor of Macao”, in J. C. Parkinson, editor, Government Examinations, page 124:",
          "text": "Let the good tremble and obey; let them not act so as to have hereafter to repent. A special Proclamation.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Phrase promulgating a decree of the Chinese imperial government or the early British colonial administration in Hong Kong."
      ],
      "id": "en-tremble_and_obey-en-verb-fhzapEvu",
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        "(historical, China) Phrase promulgating a decree of the Chinese imperial government or the early British colonial administration in Hong Kong."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "China",
        "historical"
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    }
  ],
  "word": "tremble and obey"
}

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      },
      "expansion": "凜遵／凛遵 (lǐn zūn)",
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    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Calque from Chinese 凜遵／凛遵 (lǐn zūn), a phrase historically used in Chinese imperial edicts.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "trembles and obeys",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "trembling and obeying",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "trembled and obeyed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "trembled and obeyed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
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  ],
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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        "Chinese English",
        "English idioms",
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1949, Bertrand Russell, Authority and the Individual:",
          "text": "The ordinary voter ... feels himself their humble subject, whose duty is, as the Chinese used to say, to “tremble and obey”.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2005, James McGregor, One Billion Customers: Lessons from the Front Lines of Doing Business in China, page 153:",
          "text": "Never “tremble and obey” if doing so will damage or destroy your business in China.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, Stephen Vines, “Those who think the Umbrella Movement failed need to learn a little history”, in Hong Kong Free Press:",
          "text": "... the previous colonial government and the current tremble-and-obey government have helped foster the myth of a historically politically apathetic and selfish society ...",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To unthinkingly obey or pander to authorities, especially the Chinese government."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "unthinkingly",
          "unthinkingly"
        ],
        [
          "obey",
          "obey"
        ],
        [
          "pander",
          "pander"
        ],
        [
          "authorities",
          "authorities"
        ],
        [
          "Chinese",
          "Chinese"
        ],
        [
          "government",
          "government"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, chiefly China) To unthinkingly obey or pander to authorities, especially the Chinese government."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "China",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Chinese English",
        "English terms with historical senses",
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      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1857, Thomas Wade, “Translation of a Paper forwarded by His Excellency the Governor of Macao”, in J. C. Parkinson, editor, Government Examinations, page 124:",
          "text": "Let the good tremble and obey; let them not act so as to have hereafter to repent. A special Proclamation.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Phrase promulgating a decree of the Chinese imperial government or the early British colonial administration in Hong Kong."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(historical, China) Phrase promulgating a decree of the Chinese imperial government or the early British colonial administration in Hong Kong."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "China",
        "historical"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "to unthinkingly obey or pander to authorities",
      "word": "totella kyselemättä"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tremble and obey"
}