Zu Ti of the Jin Dynasty（265-420）was a big-hearted and farsighted person who,however,was very naughty and did not like to study when he was a small kid.When he became a young man,he felt acutely that his knowledge was inadequate and that he could not serve his country well if he did not study hard.So he put all his energies into his study.He read extensively,seriously studied history from which he absorbed rich knowledge,and made good progresss in his studies.He had been to the capital city Luoyang several times,and all the people who had to the capital city Luoyang several times,and all the people who had come into contact with him said that Zu Ti was a talented person who was capable of assisting the emperor in governing the country.When he was 24,someone recommended hem to be an official,but he refused the post.He was still making a sustained effort in his studies.

Later,both Zu Ti and Liu Kun,his close frined since early childhood,were appointed chief clerks responsible for document administration in the Sizhou Prefecture.he and Liu Kun cherished a deep affection for each other.They not only often shared the same bed in sleeping,but also shared the same lofty ideals;to render meritorious service in rejuvenating the Jin Dynasty and play the part of the pillars of the state.

Once,Zu Ti heard a cock crow in the wasteland in his dream at midnight.He kicked Liu Kun a wake,saying to him:"People say it is inaupicious to hear a cock crow in the wasteland.I don's think so.What about getting up and practicing sword playing the moment we hear the cock crow form now on?"Liu Kun agreed readily.So every day when the cock crow,they got up and practied sword playing,the cold steel of the swords glinting and flashing.Day by day and year in,year out,they never stopped.As the saying goes,constant effort yields sure success.Through long periods of hard study and training,they finally becaome versatile persons versed in both civil and military affairs.They could write good essays,and were capable of leading troops in fighting victoriously.Zu Ti was invested with the title the General for Guarding the Western Regions,thus realizing his wish of rendering meritorious service to the country.Liu Kun became a governor,and at same time was in charge of the military affairs of the three prefectures of Bingzhou,Jizhou and Youzhou.In discharging his duties,Liu Kun also fully displayed his talent in both polite letters and martial arts.

This stroy appears in "The Life of Zu Ti" in The History of the Jin Dynasty.From this story people have coined the set phrase" rising up upon hearing the crow of a rooster to practise sword playing' to signify that someone is exerting himself to do something worthwhile.It is also used to signify that a person of noble aspirations exerts himeself in time.

Jìn dài de zǔ tì shì gè xiōng huái tǎn dàng、jù yǒu yuǎn dà bào fù de rén。kě tā xiǎo shí hòu què shì gè bú ài dú shū de táo qì hái zǐ。Jìn rù qīng nián shídài，tā yì shí dào zì jǐ zhī shí de pín fá，shēn gǎn bú dú shū wú yǐ bào xiào guójiā，yú shì jìu fā fèn dú qǐ shū lái。tā guǎng fàn yuè dú shū jí，rèn zhēn xué xí lì shǐ，yú shì jìu fā fèn dú qǐ shū lái。tā guǎng fàn yuè dú shū jí，rèn zhēn xué xí lì shǐ，cóng zhōng jí qǔ le fēng fù de zhī shí，xué wèn dà yǒu cháng jìn。tā céng jǐ cì jìn chū jīng dōu luò yáng，jiē chù guò tā de rén dōu shuō，zǔ tìshìgè néng fǔ zuǒ dì wáng zhì lǐ guó jiā de rén cái。zǔ tì 24 suì de sh íhòu，céng yǒu rén tuī jiàn tā qù zuò guān sī，tā méi yǒu dá yīng，réng rán bú xiè dì nǔ lìdú shū。

Hòu lái，zǔ tì hé yòu shíde hǎo yǒu líu kūn yī zhìdān rèn sīzhōu zhǔ bù。tā yǔ líu kūn gǎn qíng shēn hòu，bú jǐn cháng cháng tóng chuáng ér wò，tóng bèi ér mián，ér qiě hái yǒu zhe gòng tóng de yuǎn dà lǐ xiǎng：jiàn gōng lì yè，fù xìng jìn guó，chéng wéi guó jiā de dòng liáng zhī cái。

Yī cì，bàn yè lǐ zǔ tì zài shuì mèng zhōng tīng dào gōng jī de míng jiào shēng，tā yī jiǎo bǎ líu kūn tī xǐng，duì tā shuō：“bié rén dōu rèn wéi bàn yè tīng jiàn jī jiào bú jí lì，wǒ piān bú zhè yàng xiǎng，zán men gàn cuì yǐ hòu tīng jiàn jī jiào jìu qǐ chuáng liàn jiàn rú hé？”líu kūn xīn rán tóng yì。yú shì tā men měi tiān jī jiào hòu jìu qǐ chuáng liàn jiàn，jiàn guāng fēi wǔ，jiàn shēng kēngqiāng。Chūn qù dōng lái，hán lái shǔ wǎng，cóng bú jiān duàn。Gōng fū bú fù yǒu xīn rén，jīng guò cháng qī de kè kǔ xué xíhé xùn liàn，tā men zhōng yú chéng wéi néng wén néng wǔ de quán cái，jì néng xiě dé yī shǒu hǎo wén zhāng，yòu néng dài bīng dǎ shèng zhàng。zǔ tì bèi fēng wéi zhèn xī jiāng jūn，shí xiàn le tā bào xiào guó jiā de yuàn wàng；líu kūn zuò le dōu dū，jiān guǎn bìng、jì、yōu sān zhōu de jūn shì，yě chōng fèn fā huī le tā de wén cái wǔ luè。

gù shìchū zì《jìnshū·zǔtìchuán》。Chéng yǔ“ wén jī qǐ wǔ”，xíng róng fā fèn yǒu wéi，yě bǐyù yǒu zhìzhīshì，jíshízhèn zuò。