After the resurgence under Pan Geng of the Shang Dynasty, the reigns of Xiao Xin and Xiao Yi saw the kingdom decline once more. When Wu Ding ascended the throne, he was deeply troubled to see feudal lords ceasing their tributes, years of famine, poor harvests, livestock failing to thrive, and his people gaunt and disheveled. Determined to restore the Shang's former glory, he lamented, "I long to revive our great enterprise, yet I cannot find worthy ministers to guide the court."
King Wuding grew silent and withdrawn, eventually becoming completely speechless as he pondered the art of governance. Three years passed, and Wuding, who usually struggled to sleep, suddenly had a restful night and a vivid dream: he encountered a tall, dark-skinned sage with piercing eyes, named "Yue."
The next day, King Wu Ding surveyed all his ministers and officials, yet not one among them resembled the sage from his dream.
King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty traveled across the land in search of a sage, eventually arriving at Fuyan. Below Fuyan lay a crucial road often destroyed by floods, so officials had summoned a group of prisoners to build a great wall, blocking the mountain torrents to protect the path.
Among the road workers, King Wu Ding spotted a tall man with dark skin and eyes that flashed like lightning—the very sage he had seen in his dream. This recluse was hidden among the prisoners, laboring alongside them to build walls and protect the roads.
After speaking with him, Wuding exclaimed joyfully, "You are the sage I saw in my dream." He immediately appointed him as prime minister, and the Yin state was thereafter well-governed. The hermit had no surname, so he took the name of Fuyan and was called Fu Yue.
"Ban zhu" refers to using boards as molds, filling them with earth and stone to build walls. "Fan niu" tells a story from the Spring and Autumn period.
Duke Huan of Qi was so eager to welcome the Zhou king's envoy that he led his ceremonial procession out of the city gates well before dawn, arranging his troops in perfect formation to await the distinguished guest.
By the city moat, a caravan of merchants driving oxcarts lit torches as they waited for dawn to open the city gates and enter the market for trade.
Duke Huan drove his chariot forward to privately observe the people's condition. He saw a man bending over, holding green grass to feed an ox, patting its horn while singing in a drawn-out tone: "I fed the ox from dusk till midnight—when will this endless night see dawn? Yellow calf, rest on the slope; I will leave you to assist the state of Qi!"
Duke Huan thought, "What a bold claim—a poor cowherd dares to dream of being Qi's prime minister... but then again, extraordinary people often speak extraordinary words; perhaps he truly has talent."
After the welcoming ceremony, Duke Huan brought the singer back to the palace and, realizing he was indeed a man of great ambition and extraordinary talent, unhesitatingly entrusted him with the governance of the state. This man's name was Ning Qi.
"Ban Zhu Fan Niu" refers to individuals of humble origins who harbor great ambitions and possess extraordinary talents.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biographies of the Marquess of Pingjin and Zhufu"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "版筑饭牛" came to describe how individuals of humble origins can harbor great ambitions and possess extraordinary talents.