郑伯克段于鄢 (Zhèngbókèduànyúyān): the Earl of Zheng defeated Duan at Yan

Meanings

1 the Earl of Zheng defeated Duan at Yan
2 (fig.) canonical opening chapter of the Zuo Zhuan; archetype of brotherly-power-struggle narrative in classical Chinese
3 (lit.) Zheng earl defeated Duan at Yan

Characters

郑

earl (郑伯 = Earl of Zheng)

Duan (the brother's name)

于

yú

at (classical locative)

鄢

yān

Yan (place name)

Examples

高中语文课上，我们读了郑伯克段于鄢。

Gāozhōng yǔwén kè shàng, wǒmen dú le Zhèngbó kè Duàn yú Yān.

In high-school Chinese class, we read 'The Earl of Zheng Defeating Duan at Yan.'

这段兄弟争权的情节颇像郑伯克段于鄢。

Zhè duàn xiōngdì zhēng quán de qíngjié pō xiàng Zhèngbó kè Duàn yú Yān.

This brotherly power-struggle plot resembles 'The Earl of Zheng Defeating Duan at Yan.'

Tips

history

The opening chapter of 《左传》(Zuo Zhuan, compiled c. 4th c. BCE, narrating 722 BCE). Duke Zhuang of Zheng (郑庄公, here titled 伯 'Earl' per the Zuo's deliberate demotion of rank) allows his younger brother 共叔段 to overreach, traps him into rebellion, and crushes him at Yan (鄢). The terse title uses every word to criticize: 克 ('defeat,' normally for enemy states, not kin) implies unkind brotherhood; 段 (bare personal name, no honorific) denigrates the loser; 郑伯 downgrades Zhuang's rank. The locus classicus of the Zuo Zhuan's 春秋笔法 ('Spring and Autumn Brushwork') of moral judgment through word-choice.

usage

Reading: 鄢 = yān (place in modern Henan); 克 = 'to defeat'; 于 = 'at' (classical locative). The title is quoted as shorthand for the whole episode and for the Zuo Zhuan's judgment-through-wording technique. Standard text in Chinese senior high-school literature.