During the Warring States period, Zhao's Lin Xiangru, through bold and clever diplomacy on a mission to Qin, preserved Zhao's honor and thwarted the king of Qin's arrogance, earning the title of Supreme Minister from the King of Zhao. The famed Zhao general Lian Po, having won repeated victories over Qi and Wei, was deeply resentful that Lin's rank now surpassed his own.
Lian Po declared, "As a general of Zhao, I have won great victories in siege and field battles, yet Lin Xiangru, with nothing but his silver tongue, ranks above me. Worse still, Lin was once a mere retainer to a eunuch—lowborn and base. To serve beneath him is a disgrace!" He then boasted openly, "If I ever cross paths with Lin Xiangru, I will humiliate him without mercy."
When Lin Xiangru heard of this, he deliberately avoided Lian Po at every turn. During court sessions, he often claimed illness to skip attendance, unwilling to argue over seating precedence. Another time, while traveling, Lin Xiangru spotted Lian Po from afar and immediately turned his carriage around to give way.
Lin Xiangru's retainers were greatly displeased and said to him, "Your rank is higher than Lian Po's, yet he speaks harshly and you fear and avoid him. Even commoners would find this shameful, let alone a general or minister. We wish to leave you."
Lin Xiangru asked his retainers, "Who do you think is more formidable—General Lian Po or the King of Qin?" They replied, "The King of Qin, of course." Lin Xiangru said, "Even with the King of Qin's authority, I dared to rebuke him in court and humiliate his ministers. Do you think I would fear General Lian? The reason the powerful Qin state dares not invade Zhao is solely because the two of us are here. If we fall into conflict, we will lose unity, and our enemies will seize the chance to attack. I act this way because the nation's interests must come first—personal grievances are trivial in comparison."
Lian Po heard these words, stripped off his upper garment, bared his arms, carried a thorny branch to Lin Xiangru's home to beg forgiveness, and said, "I am a crude and lowly man, never imagining that you, General, would be so magnanimous."
The two finally reconciled, becoming sworn friends who vowed to live and die together.
Later, the idiom "A Friendship That Would Die for Each Other" came to describe a bond so deep that friends would share life and death together.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biographies of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "刎颈之交" came to describe a bond so deep that friends would share life and death together.