one's original occupation; agriculture
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesnoun
one's original occupation or trade
formalRefers to the primary, traditional, or inherited profession of a person or family, contrasting with later pursuits.
His family has been doctors for generations; practicing medicine is his original occupation.
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants should each be content with their original occupations for society to be stable.
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He later changed careers to become a merchant, but his original occupation was actually a carpenter.
noun
agriculture; farming (literary usage)
literaryIn classical Chinese texts, it specifically refers to the fundamental industry of agriculture.
In ancient society, with agriculture as the fundamental industry, it was the foundation for establishing a state.
'Emphasizing the fundamental (agriculture) and suppressing the secondary (commerce)' was the economic policy of many dynasties in ancient times.