Qingcheng 傾城 [cause a city to fall]

The idiom qingguo qingcheng 傾國傾城 [cause a state to collapse and a city to fall] first appears in Hanshu 漢書 [The Book of Han], where Li Yannian 李延年 introduced his younger sister to the Emperor Wu of Han as “once looking back, she causes a city to fall; with a second glance, she causes a state to collapse”一顧傾人城, 再顧傾人國. His sister later became the famous Lady Li 李夫人 and is remembered in history for her exceptional beauty. The association between beautiful women and the destruction of a city also cast a negative connotation on this term and established the discourse of femme fatale. Later, the word qingcheng is also used to describe a beautiful woman who possesses such an extraordinary charm and allure that could cause harm to both men and the state.