Idiom Explanation:
To treat the troops with rice in a dan and soup in a pot. It describes the people’s warm welcome and hospitality to their beloved army.
Pronunciation:
箪食壶浆
dān shí hú jiāng
Origin book:
《孟子·梁惠王上》：“箪食壶浆，以迎王师。岂有它哉？避水火也。”
Origin Story:
During the Warring States period of China, the seven kingdoms were competing for supremacy and there were frequent battles between the countries. In 313 B.C., the king of Yan gave the power of the state of Yan to Zizhi, a minister of state, however, the general Zizhi and the prince Ping were not convinced and wanted to kill Zizhi. So, Zi Zhi led his army to counter-attack and killed Zi Zi Zi and Prince Ping, and the state of Yan was in chaos, bringing deep disaster to the people. At this time, the Qi army took the opportunity to gain the support of the people of Yan, and in just fifty days, they defeated the Yan army and captured most of Yan’s territory in one fell swoop.
King Xuan of Qi was very pleased with himself and wanted to take this opportunity to completely occupy Yan, so he said to Mencius, “Some people advised me to occupy Yan, while others disagreed with me to occupy Yan. I think, Yan is not weaker than us, and we have achieved victory in such a short time, it is not possible to rely on human power alone, I am afraid it is the will of heaven! It seems that Heaven’s will is for us to annex Yan, and if we don’t do so, I’m afraid Heaven will send down a plague to punish us. I think it is better for us to completely occupy the State of Yan. What do you think?”
After hearing what King Xuan of Qi had to say, Mencius said, “Whether to occupy the state of Yan or not depends on whether the common people of Yan welcome us. If they welcome us, then we can occupy it. The ancients also did this. For example, King Wu’s destruction of Shang was like this. If the people of Yan do not welcome us, we cannot occupy it. The ancients did this too. For example, King Wen did not destroy Shang. Now, the people of Yan welcomed the Qi army with food in dan and drink in pots, what other reason could there be? They just want to end the heavy life they were living in. If you take over Yan, the water will be deeper and the fire hotter, and the people will avoid the more miserable days and stay away from you, then even if you take over Yan, your rule will not last long.”
The phrase “Rice in a dan and soup in a pot” is derived from the words of Mencius.
Similar Idioms:
- 豺狼塞路
