📖 Meaning
According to legend, after the sage king Shun died at Cangwu, elephants came to plow the fields around his tomb, and after Yu was buried at Kuaiji, birds weeded the soil. The phrase is used to describe folk customs that are simple, ancient, and untainted, as if still preserving the spirit of the legendary age of Shun and Yu.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from ancient legends preserved in the Yuejue Shu and later cited in Zuo Si's 'Wu Du Fu' in the Wen Xuan, annotated by Li Shan. According to the legend, after the sage king Shun died and was buried at Mount Cangwu in the south, elephants miraculously came to plow the surrounding fields; likewise, after the sage king Yu was buried at Mount Kuaiji, birds came to weed the earth. These miraculous acts by animals were interpreted as expressions of reverence for the virtues of the two sage kings. A competing interpretation holds that plowers imitated the gait of elephants and weeders mimicked the pecking of birds, describing ancient farming methods rather than a miracle. In later usage the phrase came to characterize regions whose customs remain pristine and rustic, echoing the golden age of Yao, Shun, and Yu.
💡 Example Usage
此地民风淳朴，犹存象耕鸟耘之遗风。
The folk customs of this place are simple and honest, still preserving the ancient spirit of elephants plowing and birds weeding.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 象耕鸟耘
- Pinyin: xiàng gēng niǎo yún
- Literal Translation: elephants plow, birds weed
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4