A 22-year-old in Guanxian county, Shandong province, who stabbed to death one of the local gangsters sent by a loan shark to bully and threaten the man's mother after she failed to repay a high-interest loan, was sentenced to life imprisonment. People's Daily commented last Saturday:
一名22岁的山东冠县男子刺死了一个被放高利贷者派来凌辱和威胁他还不起债母亲的当地恶棍，随后被判无期徒刑。《人民日报》上周六对此发表了如下评论：
What happened to the mother and son has sparked a heated debate over what constitutes legitimate self-defense.
这位儿子和他母亲所经历的一切引起了如何判定正当防卫的激烈讨论。
The son, witnessing his mother enduring unbearable humiliation including slapping and sexual harassment for more than an hour, eventually fought back with a fruit knife and injured four gangsters, one of whom died in hospital.
儿子在亲眼目睹母亲遭受长达一小时的无法忍受的凌辱，包括掌掴和性骚扰后，最终拿起水果刀反抗，导致了四人受伤，一人在医院抢救无效死亡。
The court in the first trial ruled that the son's action was not legitimate self-defense, because the "debt collectors" were unarmed and the local police were present. The danger facing the mother and the son was limited and thus did not justify the son's violence.
法院一审判决这位儿子的行为不属于正当防卫，因为“讨债者”没有带武器而且当地警察也在现场。母亲面临危险而儿子自由受限，所以儿子的暴力行为是不合理的。

The court of the second instance should take seriously the situation that led to his actions.
法院二审应该严肃考虑导致他过激行为的前提条件。
For example, the police did show up and try to persuade the gangsters not to use violence, but they then attempted to leave without explaining why, which probably made the son believe that he and his mother were helpless.
例如，警察确实出面并试着阻止恶霸使用暴力，但他们后来没有解释就试图离开，这可能导致儿子认为他和母亲很无助。
Emotionally traumatized and infuriated by what was happening to his mother, the 22-year-old was apparently emotionally distraught when he grabbed the knife.
心理上受到重创，再加上被恶霸们对妈妈做的事情激怒，这个22岁的男孩拿起刀时内心明显是狂躁的。
The incident raises many questions, such as: What is the proper thing to do when a loved one faces unbearable humiliation?
这起事件引发了很多问题，例如：当爱的人遭受难以忍受的羞辱时，我们怎么做才是正确的？
How to distinguish between an assault and legitimate self-defense? Under what circumstances can one legally defend oneself and others?
怎样辨别攻击和正当防卫？在什么时候我们可以在不犯法的情况下保护自己和他人？
The laws are not just about setting rules and boundaries, but also about protecting people's safety and dignity. That is why the case is being closely watched.
法律的作用不仅仅是建立规则和界限，也要起到保护人民安全和尊严的作用。这也正是这起案件受到密切关注的原因。