During the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Chen Deng, the governor of Guangling, vigorously abolished corrupt policies within his jurisdiction, earning great prestige and the heartfelt support of the common people.
One day, an old friend named Xu Si came to visit Chen Deng. Knowing Xu Si was a man of no great ambition and had come hoping to use their friendship to acquire land and property, Chen Deng received him coldly, offering only a simple meal.
At first, Xu Si felt nothing amiss and unceremoniously lodged at Chen Deng's home. Chen Deng, deeply displeased, slept in the main room himself and assigned Xu Si to an ordinary, inferior guest room.
Xu Si finally realized that Chen Deng was deliberately giving him the cold shoulder, and he couldn't help but hold a grudge.
Years later, Xu Si sought refuge with Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, and took a post under him. One day, while chatting with Liu Biao and Liu Bei, who was temporarily staying in Jingzhou, the conversation turned to Chen Deng.
Xu Si remarked, "Chen Deng is a man of great ambition, but somewhat rough in his manners." Liu Bei, unfamiliar with Chen Deng, asked Liu Biao, "Is Mr. Xu's assessment accurate?" Liu Biao hesitated, replying, "If I say it's wrong, Mr. Xu is a man of keen insight and wouldn't speak carelessly; if I say it's right, Chen Deng is renowned across the land." Liu Bei then turned to Xu Si and pressed, "Sir, you call Chen Deng rough—do you have any evidence for this?"
Xu Si recounted his visit to Chen Deng. Liu Bei listened and then said bluntly, "You are a man of considerable reputation. In these times of chaos across the land, you should be concerned for the nation and forget your own household, dedicating yourself to saving the world. Yet you focus solely on buying fields and houses, seeking comfort and ease. Chen Deng found no common ground with you and had no choice but to treat you coldly. If you had come to me instead, I would sleep in a tower a hundred feet high and leave you to sleep on the ground."
Xu Si, upon hearing Liu Bei's words, was so ashamed he felt he had no place to hide.
Later, the idiom "Seeking Fields and Asking for Houses" came to be used to describe someone with no great ambitions.
Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, "Biography of Chen Deng"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "求田问舍" came to describe someone with no great ambitions.