牛眠吉地 — “An ideal burial site believed to confer good fortune”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 牛眠吉地?

吉：吉祥。指有助于后代升官发财的坟地

牛眠吉地 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an ideal burial site believed to confer good fortune”. Prosperity, and high office upon one's descendants. Literally, “Ox resting in auspicious land”.

Frequency

牛眠吉地 Pronunciation and Pinyin

牛眠吉地 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
牛	niú	4	Ox, awesome, or stubborn
眠	mián	10	to sleep or be dormant
吉	jí	6	Auspicious, lucky, good
地	dì	6	earth, ground, land, place

Example Sentence with 牛眠吉地

风水先生说这块地是难得的牛眠吉地，对后代子孙大有裨益。

The geomancer declared this spot to be a rare and auspicious burial ground, highly beneficial for future generations.

Origin and Story of 牛眠吉地

Legend has it that during the Jin Dynasty, when Tao Kan was young, his father passed away. As they were preparing for the burial, a cow from their household suddenly went missing and could not be found.

While searching for the lost cow, he encountered an old man. The old man told him, 'On the front hill, I saw an ox resting in a hollow on the mountain. If you bury your father there, you will attain the highest official position.'

Tao Kan followed the old man's guidance and buried his father at that spot. Later, he indeed rose to become a high-ranking official.