During the Spring and Autumn period, Wei Ke, a high-ranking official of the Jin state, had a concubine favored by his father, Wei Wuzi. When Wei Wuzi fell ill, he instructed Wei Ke, "After I die, you must let her remarry." Later, as his condition worsened, Wei Wuzi changed his command, insisting the concubine be buried alive with him. After Wei Wuzi's death, Wei Ke married her off instead, explaining, "When my father was gravely ill, his mind was confused. I followed his clear-headed instructions."
Later, when Wei Ke led his troops into battle against the Qin general Du Hui, he saw an old man gather wild grass to trip Du Hui's feet, causing Du Hui to be captured. That night, Wei Ke dreamed the old man said to him, "I am the father of the woman you married off. You did not let my daughter be buried alive, so this is how I repay you."
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, a nine-year-old boy named Yang Bao was hiking on the northern slope of Huayin Mountain when he spotted a fierce hawk attacking a young oriole. The wounded bird tumbled from the tree. Yang Bao quickly shooed away the hawk, gently scooped up the oriole, placed it in his headscarf box, and carried it home. He carefully washed its wounds, bandaged them, and fed it its favorite food every day. Over a hundred days later, the oriole's wounds healed, its feathers grew lush, and it flapped its wings and flew away. That night, Yang Bao dreamed of a child in yellow robes who presented him with four white jade rings and said, "May your descendants be as pure as these rings and rise to high positions." The oriole was the child's true form, returning to repay the kindness of being saved. Source: *Records of the Later Han*, "Biography of Yang Zhen"
Later generations combined "tying grass" and "holding a ring" to express deep gratitude and eternal remembrance.
Source: *Zuo Zhuan*, "Duke Xuan's Fifteenth Year"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "结草衔环" came to describe tying grass and holding a ring to express deep gratitude and eternal remembrance.