闻鸡起舞 — “To rise at the crow of a rooster and practice with the sword”

In the Jin Dynasty, Zu Ti was a broad-minded man with great aspirations. However, as a child, he was mischievous and disliked studying. In his youth, he realized his lack of knowledge and felt that without sufficient learning, he could not achieve his goals. Thus, he began to study diligently, reading widely and earnestly learning history, gaining extensive knowledge and making significant academic progress. He visited the capital Luoyang several times, and everyone he met recognized him as a talent capable of assisting in governance. At the age of 24, he was recommended for an official position, but he declined, continuing his tireless studies.

Later, Zu Ti and his childhood friend Liu Kun both served as Simao. They shared a deep bond, often sleeping in the same bed and under the same quilt, and held a common grand aspiration: to achieve great deeds and become pillars of the community.

One night, Zu Ti was awakened by the crowing of a rooster in his sleep. He kicked Liu Kun awake and said, "Others might consider the crowing of a rooster in the middle of the night to be inauspicious, but I don't think so. How about we get up and practice sword fighting every time we hear a rooster crow from now on?" Liu Kun readily agreed.

So, every day, they would rise at the sound of the rooster and practice sword fighting. Their swords flashed and clanged. Spring turned to winter, and summer to autumn, but they never stopped. Through long-term diligent study and training, they eventually became well-rounded talents, excelling in both literature and martial arts. Zu Ti was appointed General of the West and achieved his aspiration; Liu Kun became a governor, fully utilizing his literary and military prowess.

The story comes from "The Book of Jin: Biography of Zu Ti". The idiom "闻鸡起舞" (wén jī qǐ wǔ) describes striving diligently and ambitiously, and also refers to individuals who seize the moment to invigorate themselves.