During the Spring and Autumn period, the noble families of Jin state were locked in a bitter power struggle. The grand master Luan Ying, unable to defeat his maternal grandfather Fan Xuanzi who controlled the government, fled to Chu. Fan Xuanzi then executed Luan Ying's allies, including Yangshe Hu, and imprisoned Yangshe Hu's half-brother Shu Xiang.
Someone went to the prison and asked Shu Xiang, "If you had sided with Fan Xuanzi earlier, you wouldn't be in this situation today. Was this perhaps due to your lack of foresight?"
Shu Xiang replied, "Though I was imprisoned, it was still better than death. I believe that no matter whom I turned to, I would face mortal danger. To be able to live leisurely and pass my years in this chaotic age is already a sign of wisdom."
At this moment, Yue Wangfu told Shu Xiang that he was willing to plead for him before Duke Ping of Jin. Shu Xiang did not want him to go, so he said to others:
"I want Grand Master Qi Xi to plead for me. He is an upright man who recommends talents for the state without regard to whether they are his enemies or relatives. Could he have forgotten only me?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Xi immediately raced by post-chaise to see Fan Xuanzi. After persuading him, they rode together to Duke Ping of Jin, where Qi Xi argued, "Shu Xiang is a man of rare talent—with him, our state will be secure." Duke Ping thus released Shu Xiang and soon appointed him Grand Tutor.
Later, the idiom "barely getting through the year" came to refer to living a leisurely life, or struggling to survive through a difficult year.
Source: *Zuo Zhuan*, "Duke Xiang's 21st Year"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "聊以卒岁" came to describe how living a leisurely life, or struggling to survive through a difficult year.