This verse comes from the legend of Liuchi Lane.
During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Ying served as a bachelor of Wenhua Palace and the Minister of Rites. The official residence in his hometown of Tongcheng is adjacent to the Wu family. There is an alley between the two courtyards for both parties to enter and exit. Later, the Wu family wanted to build a new house and wanted to occupy this road, but the Zhang family did not agree. The two sides could not settle the dispute and took the lawsuit to the local county government. The county magistrate took into account that both families were from well-known families and did not dare to end it easily.
At this time, the Zhang family wrote an urgent letter to Zhang Ying in anger, asking him to come forward to solve the problem. After Zhang Ying read the letter, he thought that he should be humble to his neighbors. He wrote four sentences in his reply to his family: The letter from a thousand miles is only for a wall, so why not give him three feet? The Great Wall is still there today, but Qin Shihuang is nowhere to be seen. After reading it, the family members understood the meaning and took the initiative to give up three feet of space. Upon seeing this, the Wu family was deeply moved and took the initiative to give up the Sanchifang base, hence the name "Liuchi Lane".
Zhang Ying, whose courtesy name is Dunfu and whose name is Lepu, was born in Tongcheng, Anhui Province. He was an official of the Qing Dynasty and the protagonist of the Liuchi Lane allusion.
The identity of the neighbor Wu family is not recorded in history. It is generally believed that he was a commoner doing business or studying.
Extended information:
Liuchixiang is located in the southwest corner of Tongcheng City, Anhui Province. It is 100 meters long and 2 meters wide. It was built during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. There are stone arches at both ends of the lane. , the word "courtesy" is engraved on the archway.
"A letter from home thousands of miles away is just a wall, so why not let it be three feet wide? The Great Wall is still there today, but Qin Shihuang is nowhere to be found." This "Give Wall Poem" comes from a historical allusion in Liuchi Lane. Historical data records: There was a vacant land next to the residence of Duke Zhang Wenrui, which was adjacent to the Wu family, and the Wu family used it more and more. The family sent the letter to the capital, and the official approval letter was sent back later. When the family got the letter, they withdrew Sanchi, so Liuchi Lane was named after it.
On November 21, 2006, the then State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan wrote an inscription after visiting Liuchi Alley: "Tongcheng Liuchi Alley is a harmonious and famous city." In April 2007, "Tongcheng Confucian Temple-Liuchixiang" became a national 3A tourist attraction.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Liuchixiang