一呼百應

一呼百應 (Pinyin: yī hū bǎi yìng) word-for-word means "one call hundred respond" or, loosely translated, "get many responses with just one's voice":

• 一 = "one"
• 呼 = "call"
• 百 = "hundred"
• 應 = "respond"

This Chinese phrase describes anyone who has immense influence over the public: with just one's voice, this "influencer" can command a hundred responses from various people. Contrast this to a person who has an equally loud voice, saying an equally valid point, but gets no response.

Sometimes, it's not what one says or how one says it but who says it. Unfortunately, people change. If we rely on who says something, rather than also thinking critically about their statement(s), we can fall into the trap of doing something terrible. A person whom we trusted can unexpectedly turn on us at any moment.

This idea extends today to politics and social media (a de facto extension of the former). Many people have this "appeal to authority" that often becomes dangerous and frustrating for the skeptics of authority.