The Golden Millet Dream

黄粱一梦

Huángliángyímèng

The Golden Millet Dream

During the Tang Dynasty, there lived a talented scholar named Lu Sheng, whose misfortune led him to fail the imperial civil servant examination many times. Having accomplished nothing, the twenty-six-year-old man felt quite depressed.

One day, Lu Sheng decided to visit a market located outside his village. After miles of traveling, he came to a small inn and decided to stop in to rest. Upon entering the main room, he found a white-haired, rosy-cheeked old man and sat down to chat with him. During the course of their conversation, Lu Sheng complained about his miserable life, and expressed his desire to have a high position with a good salary in order to bring honor to his ancestors.

The innkeeper, overhearing their conversation, came up to console Lu Sheng saying, “You must be hungry. I’m making millet porridge. It’ll be ready soon.” Lu Sheng said, “Thank you, but I’d rather have a nap instead.” Smiling, the old man took out a pillow and gave it to him.

Though he tried, Lu Sheng found the pillow simply too stiff to fall asleep on. Rising to inspect it, he found a beam of light shining out through a hole in the pillow. In great amazement, he moved closer to the light, suddenly finding himself facing a large expanse.

In this new place, he met a beautiful girl from a wealthy family named Cui, and married her. Lu Sheng also took the imperial civil servant examination, this time coming in at number one. Soon after, by imperial decree, he was promoted and became a magistrate in the city of Shanzhou. As a result of his hard work and to the delight of the emperor, Shanzhou quickly became a bustling and prosperous place. After that, he was promoted again and again, to governor, marquis, and even prime minister. Lu Sheng and his family enjoyed all the luxury and comforts that came with the high positions he held. Later on in his life, he watched as his sons also become distinguished officials.

When Lu Sheng reached the age of eighty, however, he fell gravely ill. Even the most skilled physicians were unable to cure him.

Suddenly, Lu Sheng heard someone whispering in his ear, “Wake up! Wake up!” Looking around him, he was taken aback by what he saw. He found himself dressed in a worn robe, the old man smiling knowingly at him. The millet porridge wasn’t even ready yet.

From this story came the saying, “黄粱一梦.” “黄粱” or “millet,” refers to the time it took to make the millet porridge, and “一梦” means “a dream,” referring to the dream that Lu Sheng had during that short amount of time. This phrase is used to say that glory and wealth are fleeting or shot-lived, and also that things that are too good to be true can vanish instantly.