To rise rapidly in position or status; to have a meteoric rise in one's career; to be promoted to a high position very quickly.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Antonym:
Story:
During the Warring States period, there was a talented man named Fan Sui in the State of Wei. Initially, he was not valued by the King of Wei, so he sought refuge under Prime Minister Xu Jia.
One day, Fan Sui accompanied Xu Jia on an envoy mission to the State of Qi. The King of Qi greatly admired Fan Sui's talent and secretly offered him many gold and silver treasures. Upon returning to Wei, Xu Jia slandered Fan Sui before the King of Wei, saying, "The King of Qi gave gifts to Fan Sui, perhaps intending to make him a spy!" The confused King of Wei, without investigation, had Fan Sui severely beaten and imprisoned him in the prime minister's latrine.
Fortunately, a compassionate servant secretly rescued him and hid him in his friend Zheng Anping's home. By chance, Fan Sui was taken to the State of Qin, where he changed his name to Zhang Lu, and eventually became the Prime Minister of Qin.
To seek revenge, Fan Sui strongly advocated for attacking the State of Wei. Frightened, Wei immediately sent Xu Jia to Qin to negotiate for peace. As soon as Xu Jia entered the prime minister's residence, he discovered that the prime minister was none other than Fan Sui. He immediately knelt down, kowtowed, and said, "I never imagined that with your own strength, you could smoothly step onto the blue clouds and become the Prime Minister of Qin. For any offenses I may have caused in the past, I humbly ask for your leniency now!"