耕

By Zou Xinsheng

gēng

American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that you can infer a nation’s spirit from its language.Some Chinese characters have deep roots in the Chinese psyche and can be viewed as historical and cultural “living fossils.” The Chinese character 耕 is one of them.The character,being linked closely to the country’s agrarian roots,makes us aware of some previously hidden cultural semantics of the Chinese society.

This most “Chinese” Chinese character 耕,chiefly understood as “plow” or “cultivation,” is composed of 10 strokes with 耒 (lěi,one of the most ancient farming tools in China for turning the soil,shaped like a wooden fork with a long handle and double-toothed gears) on the left and 井 (jǐng,a deep well to get water) on the right.But why does this character consist of these two parts? One source stated that the ancient Chinese people cultivated their lands and fields that were shaped like 井.耕 means to work in the field.Another stated that 井 meant water,which signified both wealth and life,so 耕 is the way which leads to a good life.

China was one of the first agricultural societies in the world.The advancement of farming tools best recorded its progress,as well as the richness of the Chinese civilization.Early forms of Chinese characters were based on the thoughts of our ancient ancestors as they described the world around them and their actions.Discoveries at the ruins of the Hemudu Culture and the Banpo Village speak volumes for the long existence of spade-like farming tools made of stone or bone.The spade was the most typical farming tool of that time.Iron tools became very popular during the Western Han Period (202 BC-8 AD).Such tools were available in even remote border regions.The plowshares,which are triangular in shape,were fixed to the plow to thrust into the soil and turn it around.The U-shaped moldboard was fixed to the rear of the plow for the purpose of crushing the earth.

For thousands of years,people imposed their will on the land and created a splendid farming civilization,and developed their dependence on farming the land.Therefore 耕 symbolizes the sincere feelings of the Chinese people for the land.For example,with the advent of spring,everything comes to life.Colorful flowers bloom,grass and trees sprout.Spring plowing (春耕chūngēng) is in full swing in most rural parts of China.When winter arrives,farmers are engaged in winter plowing (冬耕dōnggēng).Interestingly enough,people in some areas employ fire cultivation (火耕huǒgēng),a primitive farming method of burning the grass and planting the crops on the spot.Another method is called 火耕水耨 (huǒgēngshuǐnòu),which means to use fire and irrigation to extirpate weeds and then cultivate grain.

Meanwhile,the character 耕 is the best embodiment of an ideal life pursued among the ancient Chinese people.They gradually created some tools and relied on them for production.Producing food by cultivating crops and raising animals was an important step in the development of human society.Men became the main labor force for farming while women weaving (男耕女织 nángēng nǚzhī).Farming is the first to support every family for a steady and ideal life.In the feudal dynasties,耕者有其田 (gēng zhě yǒu qí tián,“Land to the tiller”) was always a dream of the Chinese peasants.It is also a common slogan used by politicians to conduct reforms.

The long tradition of 农耕文化 (nónggēng wénhuà,agrarian culture) was naturally born out of the Chinese village culture,reflecting the profound social influence of the patriarchal system.The blending of farming culture and clan culture created the harmonious and peaceful “Shangri-la” in ancient China,expressing their yearning for returning to nature and the paradigm of Taoism.Tao Yuanming,a famous poet in the Eastern Jin Dynasty,was good at reflecting this long-held aspiration of the intellectuals and common people by creating a genre of pastoral poetry in which he borrowed many natural objects and scenes to symbolize his hermit lifestyle.For example,he employed 五柳 (wǔliǔ,five willows) to represent the spirit of living in solitude;桃花源 (táohuāyuán,the land of peach blossoms) to reveal the ideals in the mortal world,and the image of returning birds toward the setting sun to express an old person’s hope to live in seclusion.Because plowing is laborious,耕 also has the meaning of hard work.The saying “no pain,no gain,” when translated into Chinese,becomes 一分耕耘，一分收获 (yífèn gēngyún,yífèn shōuhuò).This spirit of diligence accompanies Chinese people in their daily work,radiating its perpetual energy to their whole lives.