When Wan Zhang 萬章 asked Mencius about how Yi Yin sought an introduction to Tang, Mencius replied that he had done so by “plowing the wilderness of the Youxin’s Clan, delighting in the principles of Yao and Shun.” (孟子曰: “否不然, 伊尹耕於有莘之野, 而樂堯舜之道焉.”《孟子•萬章上》) When King Hui of Liang asked Mencius about “royal government,” Mencius began his response by emphasizing the way King Wen of Zhou ruled at Qi, focusing again on plowing: “昔者文王之治岐也, 耕者九一, 仕者世祿, 關市譏而不征, 澤梁無禁, 罪人不孥. (《孟子•梁惠王下》). Mencius responded to Zhou Xiao’s 周霄 question whether superior men of old took office (古之君子仕乎?) by quoting a lost passage from the Book of Rites which reads: “A prince ploughs himself, and is assisted by the people, to supply the millet for sacrifice. His wife keeps silkworms, and unwinds their cocoons, to make the garments for sacrifice.” (禮曰: 諸侯耕助, 以供粢盛; 夫人蠶繅, 以爲衣服.《孟子•滕文公下》) Later still in discussion with Zhou Xiao, Mencius also draws a direct parallel between plowing and governing: “An officer’s being in office is like the ploughing of a husbandman.” (“士之仕也, 猶農夫之耕也.”《孟子•滕文公下》) Shun was noticed by Yao because of his work with the common people who modeled themselves on him, leading to the formation of polities: “When Shun ploughed on Li mountain, the inhabitants yielded the boundaries; when he fished in Thunder lake, the men on the lake yielded to him the best place; and when he made pots on the bank of the river, his vessels had no holes or flaws in them. If he dwelt in a place for a year he formed an assemblage, in two years it became a town, and in three years a metropolis.” (舜耕歷山, 歷山之人皆讓畔, 漁雷澤, 雷澤上人皆讓居; 陶河濱，河濱器皆不苦窳. 一年而所居成聚, 二年成邑, 三年成都.《史記•五帝本紀》). Moreover, famous figures such as Sima Qian 司馬遷, Wu Zixu 伍子胥, and Chen She 陳涉 all began their careers behind a plow. This paper will therefore attempt to examine the use of the motif of plowing in early Chinese texts, examining the scenario of “plowing in the wilds” (耕於野) and other tropes, and stressing especially the close relationship between plowing and ruling.