The idioms "dancing at the smell of the chicken" and "beating the oars" come from the story of which ancient general
The idioms "to dance at the sound of the rooster" and "to strike the oars" were all stories of ancient Chinese generals. "Dance at the sound of the rooster" described a person who immediately got up and performed a sword dance when he heard the rooster crowing, which reflected his spirit of advancing bravely and striving for improvement. This story came from the Biography of Han Xin and Lu Sheng in the Records of the Historian. It was about Han Xin, who had no way out due to poverty when he was young. However, he was very smart and quick-witted. After hearing a rooster crow, he immediately got up and performed sword dance. He showed his tenacious perseverance and determination and finally became a general of the Han Dynasty. The story comes from Chuang Tzu's Xiaoyao Wandering. When Chuang Tzu and Huizi were boating on the river, Huizi suddenly wanted to give up politics and Chuang Tzu encouraged him to go forward bravely and not be frightened by difficulties. These two idioms both implied that the positive spirit was an important symbol in ancient Chinese culture.