Even without the old system of imperial examinations, success in which used to mean a person's fortunes were transformed overnight, the civil servant's security of tenure made it an attractive career in troubled and turbulent times.
雖不像古時一旦金榜題名，便有「黃金屋」、「顏如玉」，卻因鐵飯碗穩當，在顛沛流離的時代，仍最受人青睞。