When one person achieves success or power, their relatives, friends, and associates also benefit from their newfound status; all benefiting from one person's rise.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
Liu An was the Prince of Huainan during the Han Dynasty. Legend has it that he rarely engaged in serious affairs, preferring instead to seek immortal elixirs. He would tell everyone, "With elixirs, one can achieve immortality!" He sent people into the mountains to find immortals, and indeed, he obtained an immortal formula from an elder immortal.
He locked himself in a dark room and began refining elixirs. From the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he produced ten round, shiny pills. He swallowed five in one breath. Before he could consume the remaining pills, he had already floated gently into the sky!
The leftover pills were snatched and eaten by the chickens and dogs outside. A chorus of caws and barks filled the air – it turned out they had also ascended to heaven and become immortals!
The idiom "One person attains enlightenment, even chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" vividly satirizes the phenomenon where when one person becomes successful, their entire associated circle enjoys benefits.