The idiom "smelling the chicken and dancing" has always been used by parents to teach their children to be diligent, hardworking, and cherish time.
But do we really understand the story behind this idiom?
What is the final ending of the protagonists Zu Ti and Liu Kun, and why are many teachers reluctant to tell the reasons behind it?
All of the information stated in this article is based on reliable sources of information and is detailed at the end of the article.
Serve the country with a heart
The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were a turbulent and changeable era. Taking advantage of the weakening of the Eight Kings Rebellion in the Central Plains, the ethnic minorities in the north successively established political power in the north, resulting in a confrontation with the Han regime in the south.
In the face of all this, many people with lofty ideals chose to rise up in the Northern Expedition to recover the Central Plains, the most famous of which were Zu Ti and Liu Kun.
In 289, Zu Ti was recommended and selected as filial piety, and then went to Sizhou near Luoyang to serve as the chief secretary.
A few years later, Liu Kun also came here to serve as the chief bookkeeper.
The two hit it off at first sight and became confidants. They talked about state affairs all day long, warned of the chaos of the time, and vowed to rule the world.
In order to realize their ambition of serving the country and saving the people, the two agreed to get up every day when they heard the rooster crow, to read and Xi martial arts, in the hope that one day they could serve the country.
This is the origin of the famous "Smell the Chicken and Dance".
The Northern Expedition of foolish dreams
In 291, the famous "Rebellion of the Eight Kings" occurred in the Western Jin Dynasty.
Over the years, the politics of the Western Jin Dynasty have long been turbulent. The emperor was mediocre and politically corrupt, which aroused the covetousness of many relatives, clansmen, and vassal kings. For the sake of their own interests, these magnates fight for each other, and the palace struggles are constant.
Finally, it broke out in the Rebellion of the Eight Kings.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Zu Ti and Liu Kun couldn't wait to devote themselves to it, wanting to find a wise monarch in the troubled times.
It's a pity that the ideal is very plump, and the reality is very skinny.
No matter which side they turn to, Zu Ti and Liu Kun gradually saw that these people were just doing their own things under the banner of "praising the royal family and recovering the society".
The forces of all sides are competing with each other and consuming each other, and the situation is becoming more and more chaotic and turbulent.
In 311, the Xiongnu, a powerful country in northern China, took the opportunity to invade the south. Liu Cong, Shi Le and other generals led the army to capture Luoyang and Chang'an, the emperor was taken into captivity, and hundreds of people left their hometowns and fled for thousands of miles.
This is known as the "Yongjia Rebellion".
When the bad news of the fall of Luoyang came, Zu Ti and Liu Kun could only lead their families to move south to escape the war.
Zu Ti led a few hundred people and went south on foot. In order to take care of the old and weak, he gave the carriage and horse to others to ride, and walked on foot to open the way.
According to the surviving historical records, there were originally more than 300 people in Zu Ti's southward migration team, but after facing the difficult road of hunger and cold and the attack of the Hun cavalry at any time, only a few dozen people remained when they reached the end point.
It can be seen how painful the hardships of moving south were at that time.
The situation is irreversible
In 312, Sima Rui ascended the throne as emperor in Jiankang (present-day Nanjing), and was the emperor of the Jin Yuan dynasty. He appointed Liu Kun out of the northern part of the town, which also became the last territory of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the Central Plains.
At that time, the state was already in ruins, and all industries were depressed, and after Liu Kun took over, he first appeased the refugees and repaired the city.
He made great efforts to build water conservancy and develop agriculture. In just one year, the state has regained some vitality. This became an important economic source for the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and also showed Liu Kun's political and military talents.
And Zu Ti wanted to go on the Northern Expedition and made many suggestions to the emperor.
However, Emperor Jin and Yuan had just occupied Jiangnan and were still ruling steadily, so they had no intention of going on a northern expedition. In order to perfunctory Zu Li, he just sent a title, gave him some food and military supplies, and told him to figure out his own way.
But Zu Ti was not discouraged, but excited. He immediately led more than 100 family members to cross the river to the north, and quickly formed a small army by accumulating grain through the tuntian.
In 317, Zu Ti defeated Zhang Ping, Fan Ya and other forces and successfully recovered the land of Yuzhou. This laid the foundation for the Northern Expedition in the future.
In 320, Zu Ti led his army to defeat the powerful enemy Shile, so that it did not dare to invade the south. The following year, because the emperor was afraid of his prestige, he transferred Zu Ti away from the front.
Zu Ti has a strong personality and is very dissatisfied with this. Coupled with overwork, he suddenly fell ill and died of hatred at the age of 56.
At the same time, the situation in the north has changed again. In 318, Liu Kun was also involved in a palace coup, and he was killed along with his nephew.
Both of them died young, and they were unable to complete the great cause of the Northern Expedition, and they both regretted it. However, their spirit of serving the country and sacrificing their lives and treating death as their home has become a model for future generations to learn from Xi.
A lifetime of serving the country has no results, but it inspires the eternal
Ideals are light, dreams are power. Despite their lifelong efforts, the ideals of Zu Ti and Liu Kun have not been realized, but their spirit of never giving up has become the spiritual sustenance of generation after generation.
Whenever people mention the idiom "smell the chicken and dance", they will always think of Zu Ti and Liu Kun's diligent and hardworking spirit. They got up at dawn to study and Xi martial arts, and never stopped.
This represents not only hard study, but also a kind of perseverance and ideals, and a spirit of unremitting efforts to serve the country. It is with such spiritual support that Zu Ti and Liu Kun can start a career and achieve their ambitions in the turbulent era.
Throughout history, the power of one person is small, but the ideal can surpass everything.
The story of Zu Ti and Liu Kun tells us that the meaning of life is not only the pursuit of money or status, but also the ideals, dreams, and perseverance. Ideals can ignite the torch in the heart and illuminate the way forward.
Maybe a person can't change the trend of the times, but persevering to the end is the greatest courage for himself. This is also the most precious spiritual wealth they have left us.
bibliography
[1] Book of Jin, Volume 62, Biography 32, Liu Kun
[2] "Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 88, Jin Ji X"
[3] "The Book of Jin: The Biography of Zu Ti"
[4] Liu Yuan, Shi Le, Anti-Jin, Master of Chinese Studies [Citation date: 2020-09-28]