The literal meaning of "shi zuo yong zhe" is the first person to make pottery figurines. It comes from Mencius, King Hui of Liang, Part I: "The first person to make pottery figurines, may he have no descendants!" Confucius believed that although replacing living people with pottery figurines for burial sacrifices seemed like progress, pottery figurines resembled human beings and still carried an implication of inhumanity, so he cursed the first person to make pottery figurines with having no descendants. Later, this idiom came to refer to the person who sets a bad precedent, is the first to do something bad, or initiates an unhealthy trend. It carries a strongly derogatory connotation and is often used to condemn those originators who trigger terrible precedents and lead to harmful consequences. In terms of usage scenarios, it is mostly used to criticize the root figures behind harmful social phenomena, historical events, or internal problems within organizations, emphasizing their inescapable responsibility. In terms of cultural background, it reflects Confucianism's emphasis on benevolence and virtue, as well as its criticism of formalism and inhumane behavior.
📝 Example
He was the one who started this academic fraud scandal, not only falsifying data himself but also inciting his students to follow suit. (Refers to the first person to set a bad precedent of academic fraud.)
The one who started this arbitrary charging practice was none other than that department head who violated the rules. (Refers to the first person to engage in arbitrary charging and set a bad precedent.)