Su Shi and Su Zhe, the two brothers, were both renowned literary figures of the Northern Song Dynasty, occupying two of the eight spots among the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song."
The two brothers, only three years apart in age, grew up inseparable, their bond forged through countless days and nights spent together.
In 1060, during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, the 25-year-old Su Shi and his 22-year-old brother Su Zhe traveled to the capital for the imperial examinations. The chief examiner was the renowned literary master Ouyang Xiu, who was deeply impressed by the brothers' literary talent, and both passed as jinshi.
During the Song Dynasty, two brothers lived together in the Huaiyuan Courier Station's Xiaoyao Hall in the capital. According to Song regulations, after passing the imperial examinations, most candidates awaited official postings to provincial positions. During this waiting period, both brothers were in high spirits, enjoying each other's company and the anticipation of their future careers.
One rainy autumn night, the brothers lay in their beds, listening to the wind and rain lashing against the roof tiles, the steady patter continuing late into the night. As they lay facing each other, they talked freely, their conversation ranging far and wide.
As their conversation deepened, Su Zhe suddenly recalled the Tang Dynasty poet Wei Yingwu's lines: "Who could have known that on a stormy night, we would again sleep facing each other?" The scene before him perfectly matched the poem's mood. Realizing that he and his elder brother would soon part ways for their official careers, with little chance of such "rainy night talks face to face" again, Su Zhe's heart grew heavy with melancholy.
Su Shi deeply resonated with his younger brother's sentiments, and the two made a pact to retire early and return to their hometown of Meishan together, to enjoy the pleasures of a leisurely life.
But after they took office, neither Su Shi nor Su Zhe retired early. Su Zhe rose to become Vice Grand Councilor and Imperial Advisor, while Su Shi reached Minister of Rites before being exiled to Huizhou and Danzhou in the south, dying in Changzhou on his journey back north.
Later, the idiom "Rainy Night by the Bed" came to describe gatherings and joy among close friends or brothers, or to depict leisurely life at home.
Source: *Xiaoyao Hall Meeting for Overnight Stay*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "对床夜雨" came to describe gatherings and joy among close friends or brothers, or to depict leisurely life at home.