Ma Yuan, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, lost his father at age twelve. Ambitious even as a child, his elder brother Ma Kuang urged him to study the *Book of Songs*, but Ma Yuan refused to be bogged down by ancient texts. He told his brother, "I'd rather go herd cattle on the frontier."
Ma Kuang believed his younger brother would succeed at whatever he pursued, so he agreed to his request. Unexpectedly, the elder brother soon passed away, leaving Ma Yuan deeply grieved as he observed a year of mourning for him.
Later, Ma Yuan served as a minor county clerk. One day, ordered to escort a prisoner, he took pity on the man along the way and secretly set him free, then fled north himself.
Soon after, a general amnesty was declared, and Ma Yuan settled there to tend livestock. His family's retainers, regarding him as a man of honor, flocked to his side. While managing his herds, he also expanded farming, and before long, he owned thousands of cattle and sheep and tens of thousands of bushels of grain.
Ma Yuan often told his friends, "As a true man, one should 'be firmer in adversity and stronger in old age.'"
The more impoverished one becomes, the more steadfast their resolve; the older one grows, the more vigorous their spirit.
Ma Yuan added, "When increasing wealth, the key is to be generous; otherwise, you become a slave to money!"
He then gave all his earnings to his brothers and friends, keeping only a sheepskin coat and leather trousers for himself.
Later, people used the idiom "Old but Vigorous" to describe someone who remains energetic in old age.
Source: *Book of the Later Han*, "Biography of Ma Yuan"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "老当益壮" came to describe how someone who remains energetic in old age.