In the Ming Dynasty, the physician Li Shizhen recorded in his *Compendium of Materia Medica* a Chinese medicine called Wulingzhi, which resembles solidified fat, is black as iron, and is said to be sweet, warm, and non-toxic, capable of promoting blood circulation and stopping bleeding, treating various women's ailments, infant convulsions, and epilepsy, as well as detoxifying snake, scorpion, and centipede bites. This substance is neither a plant nor a mineral but the droppings of a rare northern bird, and its origin involves a slightly legendary tale.
According to ancient texts, on Mount Wutai in Shanxi, there lived a peculiar bird called the Hanhao, also known as the Hedan or the Duchong. It looked like a chicken but had four feet and two fleshy wings, unable to fly far. Its droppings, the size of beans, were foul when fresh but turned black and glossy when dried—this was the medicinal substance known as Wulingzhi.
As the seasons change throughout the year, the Hanhao bird's appearance also undergoes a noticeable transformation. In the scorching summer, when the sun blazes and trees cast green shade, its body is covered with colorful feathers, appearing plump, glossy, and dazzlingly brilliant. At this time, the Hanhao bird flies out from the forest, flapping its wings in the sunlight and chirping proudly:
"Phoenix is not as good as me! Phoenix is not as good as me!"
But when the bitter north wind howls and snowflakes swirl in the dead of winter, it sheds all its feathers, becoming as bare as a newly hatched chick, revealing a wretched and shabby appearance. At that moment, it no longer dares to fly out of the woods, but can only hide deep in the thickets, chirping feebly and mournfully.
"Drift along and let things be, drift along and let things be."
After recording this legend in *Nancun Chuo Geng Lu*, the renowned late Yuan and early Ming scholar Tao Zongyi remarked with deep emotion:
"In today's world, there are those who lack both talent and integrity—once they achieve even a small success, they strut about arrogantly, believing no one surpasses them; but when they encounter the slightest setback, they instantly become like a homeless dog, cowering with their tail between their legs, whimpering for mercy. How are such people any different from the cold-calling bird?"
Later, the idiom "muddling along" came to describe those who lack ambition and simply drift through life.
Source: *Nancun Chuogeng Lu*, "The Hanhao Insect"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "得过且过" came to describe those who lack ambition and simply drift through life.