唐僧肉 (tangseng rou): Much-coveted monk flesh

In Journey to the West, a classic Chinese novel published in the 16th century by Wu Cheng'en, the main character Tang Sanzang, a Tang Dynasty monk, is believed to be based on Xuanzang, a Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler and translator, who made an arduous journey to India during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).

In the novel the demons often claim that eating a piece of the monk' s flesh will make the eater immortal, which results in battles with numerous demons.

In modern times, something much-coveted, or "the flesh of a Tang Dynasty monk", refers to a big bonus or benefit that is pursued at any cost. In an article published by the Communist Party of China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on its website on Monday, the top discipline watchdog pointed out, that because of loose supervision, the officials managing some State-owned enterprises regard the companies as such "monk flesh".

The article says SOEs are an important power driving the modernization of the country, and safeguarding the people's interests. The graft exposed in the commission's inspections of some SOEs indicate the reform of these important enterprises is far from over.

Some supervision systems have become just empty talk, in which only the leaders of the SOEs have the say, and lower-level officials have their own "private plots". The purchasing by invitation to bid has not been strictly implemented and some institutional reforms have become cash cows for corrupt officials, leaving loopholes for the illegal privatization of public assets.