During the reign of Emperor Hui of the Jin Dynasty, internal strife tore the ruling clique apart as they fought and killed each other in what became known as the "War of the Eight Princes." As chaos raged on, five nomadic tribes from the northwest and north seized the opportunity to break free from Jin rule, declaring independence and launching invasions southward. Both Emperor Huai and Emperor Min were captured and executed. Forced to abandon the Central Plains, the Jin court retreated south of the Yangtze River to the southeastern coast, establishing what history calls the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
When the Western Jin capital Chang'an fell and Emperor Min was killed by Liu Yao of the Xiongnu, leaving vast conquered regions in misery, the powerful Left Chancellor Sima Rui sat securely south of the Yangtze in Jiankang (modern Nanjing), making no move. Patriotic generals Zu Ti and Liu Kun, while leading northern expeditions, submitted a memorial urging Sima Rui to take the throne and shoulder the nation's burdens. They encouraged him to rise with determination, fearing no hardship, and declared: "Though the country is in ruins, a man of true spirit can restore it; though the situation is dire, a wise leader can turn it around."
"Multiple hardships" can instead inspire us to revive the Jin Dynasty and strengthen the state; "deep worries" can also help the emperor see the situation clearly and make a firm resolve.
Thus Sima Rui became the first emperor of the Eastern Jin, known as Emperor Yuan of Jin. However, lacking resolve for northern campaigns, he grew suspicious of the generals Zu Ti and Liu Kun, who had rallied themselves for the nation's cause, ready to fight and reclaim lost lands. Their fates: Liu Kun was murdered, and Zu Ti died of grief and frustration. The Eastern Jin's precarious hold on the southeast lasted over a century.
Later, the idiom "Much Adversity Revives a Nation" came to describe a country facing many hardships during its founding.
Source: *Jin Dynasty*, Zu Ti, "Memorial Urging the Throne"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "多难兴邦" came to describe a country facing many hardships during its founding.