During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Emperor Xiaowen had a younger brother named Yuan Xi, who was once enfeoffed as the Prince of Xianyang and served as the governor of Ji Province, achieving quite commendable political accomplishments.
Yuan Hong, the most reform-minded emperor of Northern Wei, relied heavily on his cousin Yuan Xi as his right-hand man. Yuan Hong abolished outdated Xianbei customs, promoted Han Chinese culture, ordered everyone to speak Chinese and wear Han clothing, and encouraged intermarriage between Xianbei and Han. Yuan Xi, sharp and efficient, implemented every reform without compromise, becoming the emperor's trusted confidant.
Emperor Yuan Hong cherished deep brotherly affection for his younger brothers, especially Yuan Xi, the eldest, whom he held in high regard. After Yuan Xi assumed a prominent position, Yuan Hong repeatedly advised him to remain humble and cautious, warning against arrogance and negligence. Though Yuan Xi outwardly agreed, he secretly failed to reform. Upon Yuan Hong's death, Yuan Xi was entrusted by imperial edict to assist the young Emperor Yuan Ke. No longer as diligent as when serving Yuan Hong, he gradually grew complacent and arrogant. His innate greed surfaced, leading him to procrastinate in official duties and often give noncommittal responses. Surrounded by dozens of beauties, he still sent men to scour the land for more women. Emperor Yuan Ke grew deeply disgusted with his behavior.
In 501 AD, Emperor Yuan Ke declared he would personally take charge of state affairs, unsettling his uncle Yuan Xi, who conspired with his wife's brother to rebel. One day, as the emperor left the city on business, Yuan Xi gathered his men to attack, but his followers argued endlessly with no consensus, forcing them to disband. Upon receiving a secret report, Yuan Ke sent troops to arrest Yuan Xi at his Hongchi Villa.
Yuan Xi, caught completely off guard, fled in panic with only a few servants and his personal guard Yin Longhu by his side. As they escaped, Yuan Xi, overwhelmed by grief for his lost family, became utterly distraught. To lighten the mood, Yin Longhu offered a riddle: "When we sleep, we sleep together; when we rise, we rise together. Greedy as wolves, yet we never claim anything for ourselves." Yuan Xi, his mind in turmoil, could not solve it. Yin Longhu revealed the answer: chopsticks. Gazing at his loyal follower, Yuan Xi sighed, "You must prepare to die with me." Yin Longhu replied solemnly, "You, the Prince of Xianyang, have always treated me well. To share your fate, in life or death, is to live even in death." Soon after, they were captured, and Yuan Xi was later ordered by the emperor to take his own life at home.
Later, the idiom "Alive Even in Death" came to describe a death so meaningful and valuable that the person lives on in spirit.
Source: *Book of Wei*, "Biography of Yuan Xi, Prince of Xianyang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "虽死犹生" came to describe how a death so meaningful and valuable that the person lives on in spirit.