Be made a scapegoat, take the blame on behalf of others

Chinese netizens were horrified by recent reports alleging staff at a Beijing branch of the kindergarten chain RYB had abused children in their care by pricking them with needles and forcing them to take unidentified pills. After investigating, police said they had detained a young kindergarten teacher over the allegations. Netizens were not satisfied with the police response and questioned how one young teacher acting alone could carry out abuse on the scale alleged. Some labeled the teacher a beiguo person, meaning “scapegoat,” and said she had taken the blame for the actions of others who had a powerful background that placed them above the law.

Beiguo (literally “carry a pot”) comes from the old Chinese term “beiheiguo” (“carry a black pot”), which has the connotation of being wronged. It's commonly used to describe scapegoats in online multiplayer games such as League of Legends, when a team member is unfairly blamed for the team's loss. In film, Iron Man from the Marvel series is considered a typical example of “beiguo,” since he is often misun- derstood by his teammates and criticized by the public despite endeavoring to protect them.

The modern use may come from the Internet, but the term “beiguo” is regularly heard in workplaces where subordinates take the blame for their bosses' mistakes and failures. The word's popularity has sparked other phrases and idioms, such as, “shuaiguo” (“throw away the pot”), meaning to blame others for a mistake. On the other hand, if someone says they will take the pot they're taking responsibility – and if they refuse to take it they're blaming someone else.