When the people of the Shang overthrew the despotic last ruler of the Hsia dynasty in the 16th century B.C., they veiled an allusion to him in a riddle as a secret rallying cry.
它的起源，應可追溯到先秦兩漢時代的「廋辭」和「隱語」。二者都是不用正言、明言，而故意使用曲折的比喻或暗示來表達事物。尚書湯誓篇記載夏桀殘暴無道，百姓恨之入骨，因此編出了二句歌謠：