📖 Meaning
Literally 'treading on the soil and eating its produce,' this idiom refers to living under a ruler's domain and benefiting from the land's bounty, thereby owing loyalty and service to the sovereign. It expresses the feudal principle that all land belongs to the ruler and those who consume its harvest are his subjects. More broadly, it also denotes one's daily livelihood and way of life.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传), a foundational Spring and Autumn period historical text, in the record of the seventh year of Duke Zhao (昭公七年). The original passage declares that within a state's borders, all land belongs to the ruler, and whoever eats the produce of the soil is the ruler's subject. The phrase was later condensed into the four-character form 践土食毛. It encapsulates the feudal obligation of loyalty tied to dwelling on a sovereign's territory. The Qing dynasty scholar Liang Zhangju (梁章钜) employed it in his collected notes '归田琐记·黄忠端公.'
💡 Example Usage
既践土食毛，自当忠心报国。
Since we tread on this land and partake of its bounty, we are duty-bound to serve our country with loyalty.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 践土食毛
- Pinyin: jiàn tǔ shí máo
- Literal Translation: tread on soil, eat what grows upon it
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4