躬耕于南阳

躬耕於南陽

gōnggēng yú Nányáng

quotation

Meanings

1 I myself tilled the fields at Nanyang
2 (fig.) living in humble retirement before being called to serve — especially Zhuge Liang's retreat before Liu Bei's visits
3 (lit.) personally — plow — at — Nanyang

Characters

躬

gōng

personally / in person

at (classical preposition)

sunny side (南阳 = Nanyang, place name)

Examples

他辞官回乡，过上了躬耕于南阳式的日子。

Tā cí guān huíxiāng, guòshàng le gōnggēngyúnányáng shì de rìzi.

He resigned his post and went home, living the 'tilling fields at Nanyang' kind of life.

诸葛亮自述躬耕于南阳，苟全性命于乱世。

Zhūgéliàng zì shù gōnggēngyúnányáng, gǒu quán xìngmìng yú luànshì.

Zhuge Liang recounted: 'I tilled the fields at Nanyang, just seeking to preserve my life in a troubled age.'

Tips

history

From 诸葛亮《出师表》 (Zhuge Liang, Shu Han, 227 CE), his memorial to Liu Shan before the Northern Expedition: 臣本布衣，躬耕于南阳，苟全性命于乱世，不求闻达于诸侯 (Your servant was originally a commoner, personally tilling the fields at Nanyang, merely seeking to preserve his life in a chaotic age, not pursuing fame among the lords). Nanyang (modern Henan) is the traditional site of Zhuge Liang's 草庐 (thatched cottage) where Liu Bei made three visits to recruit him.

usage

于 here is classical 'at / in' (preposition of location). Xiangyang in Hubei also historically claimed the site — the Nanyang vs. Xiangyang 诸葛亮 debate is centuries old, but the poem's line settled popular memory on Nanyang.

Stroke Order

躬 gōng

耕 gēng

于 yú

南 nán

阳 yáng