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I just came across this phrase, which is listed in the dictionary as:

> never being satisfied with what one gets, and always wanting more; giving
> someone an inch and having them take a mile; taking Gansu only to want
> Sichuan

It's the last meaning that interests me. Is this a relic of Imperial Japanese
history? After a quick Wikipedia search I wasn't able to find that Gansu was
taken by the Japanese, although they certainly did [want
Sichuan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_Japanese_invasion_of_Sichuan).
Did this phrase originate in historical events, or is it really just a figure
of speech?

Also, where does the interpretation of 隴 as Gansu come from? In Chinese it's
甘肃 and in Japanese 甘粛省. I can't find anything in dictionaries about this
character relating to Gansu.
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etymology idioms chinese yoji-jukugo
What is the etymology of the phrase 隴を得て蜀を望む?
# What is the etymology of the phrase 隴を得て蜀を望む?

We can reorder the characters to get 得隴望蜀, which is a Chinese-language
_yojijukugo_. This phrase may reference a few unrelated historical events.

The _**earliest**_ such event is about [Emperor Guangwu of
Han](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Guangwu_of_Han) reunifying the
Gansu region into Han territory then turning his sights on Sichuan (see
[Emperor Guangwu of Han's gradual victories over other regional
powers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Guangwu_of_Han#Gradual_victories_over_other_regional_powers)).
He succeeded in reunifying Sichuan into Han territory too, but the phrase
originates from before he ordered his soldiers to march towards Sichuan. From
the [_Book of Later
Han_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Later_Han):

>
> [**《後{{kr:漢}}書》卷17・岑彭傳**](https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%BE%8C%E6%BC%A2%E6%9B%B8/%E5%8D%B717)
>
> 。。。。。。敕彭書曰：『兩城若下，便可將兵南擊蜀虜。 **人若不知足，既平隴，復望蜀。** 每一發兵，頭須為白。』
>
> (My translation)
>
> ...Emperor Guangwu wrote a letter to [Cen
> Peng](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B2%91%E5%BD%AD), saying:
>

>> Once the two cities [ _now a single city
called[Tianshui](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianshui)_] have fallen, the
soldiers can march south and attack those Sichuan slaves [ _slave_ =
derogatory term for a group of people]. **If one does not know contentment,
after they pacify Gansu, they will then wish for Sichuan.** Every time
soldiers are sent to battle, more of my hairs turn white.

As for the exact phrase 得隴望蜀, you can find it in several places in Chinese
literature, e.g. in one of [Li Bai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Bai)'s
poems.

> **唐・李白《古風》之二三**
>
> 。。。。。
>
> 物苦不知足， **得隴** 又 **望蜀** 。
>
> 。。。。。

* * *

# Where does the interpretation of 隴 as Gansu come from?

隴 was originally the name of a neighbouring mountain called
[隴山](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E9%9A%B4%E5%B1%B1#Chinese), and was early
on used as an abbreviation for Gansu.
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