Duke of Zhou, younger brother of King Wu of Zhou during the Western Zhou dynasty, earned great merit by helping his brother overthrow the tyrant King Zhou and establish the new dynasty.
When King Wu of Zhou divided the realm among his nobles, the Duke of Zhou was granted the land of Lu. However, because King Wu was advanced in age, the Duke of Zhou remained in the capital to assist in governance, sending his eldest son, Boqin, to Qufu to take possession of the fief.
When King Wu of Zhou passed away, his brother the Duke of Zhou and another brother, the Duke of Shao, were entrusted to assist the young King Cheng. Because King Cheng was still a child, the Duke of Zhou feared the feudal lords might defy the court's authority, so he assumed regency on the king's behalf, planning to return full governing power once King Cheng came of age.
However, this sparked discontent among Cai Shu and Guan Shu, both younger brothers of King Wu. They conspired with Wu Geng, son of the deposed Shang king, to launch a rebellion. In response, the Duke of Zhou decisively led an army to suppress the uprising, further solidifying the Western Zhou dynasty.
At that time, Jiang Ziya, the military strategist who had assisted King Wen and King Wu, was granted the land of Qi for his merits. Five months later, Jiang Ziya came to report to the Duke of Zhou on the governance there. The Duke of Zhou was astonished and asked, "Have you already brought Qi under good governance so quickly?"
When Jiang Ziya reported to the Duke of Zhou on his governance of Qi, he explained, "I simplified the rituals between ruler and subjects and respected local customs, so the people willingly submitted. Everything is orderly and stable." In contrast, his eldest son Boqin took three years to report from Lu. The Duke of Zhou asked disapprovingly, "Why did it take you so long?" Boqin replied, "I worked hard to change the local customs and reform the rites there. Only after three years did I see results, which is why I am late."
After hearing this, the Duke of Zhou sighed and said, "Alas! The future generations of Lu will become subjects of Qi! If government decrees are not simple and easy to follow, the people will not feel close to them; if decrees are gentle and easy to follow, the people will rally to them."
"Approachable and easy to get along with" originally referred to government decrees that were gentle and easy to implement, but now describes a person's kind and amiable demeanor. Later, the idiom "approachable and easy to get along with" came to describe someone who is so warm and friendly that others are willing to approach them.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of the Duke of Zhou"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "平易近人" came to describe how someone is so warm and friendly that others are willing to approach them.