Duke Wen of Jin (
晋文公), personal name Chong'er (
重耳), spent nineteen years in exile before becoming duke at age 62 and rapidly establishing Jin (
晋) as the dominant power. The chengyu
退避三舍 (tuìbì-sānshè — 'retreat three stations'), now meaning to back down to avoid conflict, comes from his promise during exile to retreat 90 li if Jin and Chu ever met in battle, which he honored at the Battle of Chengpu in 632 BC.
