"Xun Zi" (or Hsun Tzu) and "Shunju Kokuryo-den" (Annotation of Guliang on Spring and Autumn Annals) described 'shi-sho-ko-no'; though in China, much more importance has traditionally been attached to "no" who settled in the land and produced crops, as opposed to the "sho" and "ko" who did not till the land and aimed at reaping profits.
『荀子』や『春秋穀梁伝』のように「士商工農」とするものもあるが、中国では伝統的に土地に基づかず利の集中をはかる「商・工」よりも土地に根ざし穀物を生み出す「農」が重視されてきた。