結草

See also: 结草

Chinese

		knot; sturdy; to bear (fruit) knot; sturdy; to bear (fruit); bond; to tie; to bind	grass; straw; draft (of a document) grass; straw; draft (of a document); careless; rough; manuscript; hasty
trad. (結草)		結	草
simp. (结草)		结	草

Etymology

秋，七月，秦桓公伐晉，次於輔氏。壬午，晉侯治兵於稷，以畧狄土，立黎侯而還。及雒，魏顆敗秦師於輔氏，獲杜囘，秦之力人也。初，魏武子有嬖妾，無子，武子疾，命顆曰，必嫁是。疾病則曰，必以為殉。及卒，顆嫁之，曰，疾病則亂，吾從其治也。及輔氏之役，顆見老人結草以亢杜囘，杜囘躓而顛，故獲之。夜夢之，曰，余，而所嫁婦人之父也，爾用先人之治命，余是以報。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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秋，七月，秦桓公伐晋，次于辅氏。壬午，晋侯治兵于稷，以畧狄土，立黎侯而还。及雒，魏颗败秦师于辅氏，获杜囘，秦之力人也。初，魏武子有嬖妾，无子，武子疾，命颗曰，必嫁是。疾病则曰，必以为殉。及卒，颗嫁之，曰，疾病则乱，吾从其治也。及辅氏之役，颗见老人结草以亢杜囘，杜囘踬而颠，故获之。夜梦之，曰，余，而所嫁妇人之父也，尔用先人之治命，余是以报。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

Qiū, Qīyuè, Qínhuángōng fá Jìn, cì yú Fǔshì. Rénwǔ, Jìnhóu zhìbīng yú Jì, yǐ lüè Dí tǔ, lì Líhóu ér hái. Jí Luò, Wèi Kē bài Qín shī yú Fǔshì, huò Dù Huí, Qín zhī lìrén yě. Chū, Wèiwǔzǐ yǒu bìqiè, wú zǐ, Wǔzǐ jí, mìng Kē yuē, bì jià shì. Jíbìng zé yuē, bì yǐ wèi xùn. Jí zú, Kē jià zhī, yuē, jíbìng zé luàn, wú cóng qí zhì yě. Jí Fǔ Shì zhī yì, Kē jiàn lǎorén jiécǎo yǐ kàng Dù Huí, Dù Huí zhì ér diān, gù huò zhī. Yè mèng zhī, yuē, yú, ér suǒ jià fùrén zhī fù yě, ěr yòng xiānrén zhī zhìmìng, yú shì yǐ bào. [Pinyin]

(In 594 B.C.E.) during autumn, in the 7th lunar month, Duke Huan of Qin led an expedition against Jin, pitching camp at Fushi (present day Dali County). On (the zodiac day of) Yang Water Horse, Marquis of Jin had been training his army at Ji (south of present day Jishan County), so that he could seize the lands of the Di people. After installing Marquis of Li there, Marquis of Jin returned home (in order to mount a defense against the Qin). However, by the time Marquis of Jin arrived at Luo (present day Luoyang), Wei Ke (of Jin) had already defeated the Qin army at Fushi, taking a powerful man from Qin, named Du Hui, as his prisoner. As it turns out, (Wei Ke's father) Wei Wuzi had a favorite concubine, who was childless. When Wuzi was ill, he instructed Ke, saying that Ke should marry her off. Later, when Wuzi had become gravely ill, Wuzi said that she must be buried alive in his grave. After his father's death, Ke married her off, saying, "My father was gravely ill, so his thinking was muddled; I will abide by the instructions he gave me when he was still in control of his faculties." Later on, during the battle of Fushi, Ke saw an old man making a rope out of grass in order to block Du Hui’s path. Du Hui tripped on the rope and fell. As a result, Ke was able to capture him. That night, Ke had a dream about the old man, who said to him, "I am the father of the woman that you married off. You abided by the instructions that your father gave you when he was still in control of his faculties. I (did) this in order to repay you."(Wiktionary translation)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiécǎo

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄘㄠˇ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiécǎo
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄘㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiécǎo
    • Wade–Giles: chieh²-tsʻao³
    • Yale: jyé-tsǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jyetsao
    • Palladius: цзецао (czecao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɛ³⁵ t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Verb

結草

1. (literary) to repay a debt (of kindness etc.)

Derived terms

• 結草銜環 / 结草衔环 (jiécǎo xiánhuán)