During the Spring and Autumn period, the people of Chen killed their crown prince Yukou, and Prince Jingzhong fled to the state of Qi.
A nobleman of Qi, Yizhong, wished to marry his daughter to Jingzhong. His wife consulted the oracle and declared, "This is most auspicious. It is said: 'Phoenixes soar, their harmonious cries clear and bright.' The descendants of Chen will flourish in Qi, rising to prominence by the fifth generation, equal to a chief minister, and by the eighth, none shall surpass them."
When Jingzhong was young, a Grand Astrologer of Zhou arrived carrying the *Book of Changes* to visit his father, Duke Ligong of Chen. The duke requested a divination, and the hexagram "Wind over Earth" transformed into "Earth over Heaven." The Grand Astrologer explained, "This signifies 'going to another state to become a guest of its ruler.' This child will replace Chen and possess a state—not in Chen itself, but elsewhere; not in his own lifetime, but through his descendants. The radiance comes from afar. Kun represents earth, Xun represents wind, and Qian represents heaven. Wind rises from heaven and moves over the earth—this is a mountain. With mountain resources and heavenly light, he takes root in the land. Hence, 'a guest of the ruler in another state.' A hundred gifts are arrayed in the courtyard, jade and silk are presented, and all fine things between heaven and earth are assembled. Thus, 'it is favorable to be a guest of the ruler.' There is more to observe, so 'his prosperity lies in later generations.' The wind's movement must settle on the earth, so 'his prosperity lies in another state.' If in another state, it will surely be the state of Jiang. The Jiang clan are descendants of Taiyue; the mountain is lofty enough to match heaven, but no two things can be equally great. When Chen declines, the state of Jiang will flourish."
As predicted by the divination, when the state of Chen was first conquered by Chu, Jingzhong's fifth-generation descendant Chen Huanzi rose to high office in Qi. When Chen fell to Chu a second time, Jingzhong's eighth-generation descendant Chen Chengzi seized control of Qi itself.
The idiom "Prosperous for Five Generations" is later used to signify flourishing descendants, often as a wedding blessing.
Source: *Zuo Zhuan*, Chapter "Duke Zhuang's Twenty-Second Year"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "五世其昌" came to describe flourishing descendants, often as a wedding blessing.