📖 Meaning
A friendship so deep that the friends would face life and death together. It describes a bond forged through shared mortal peril, in which each person would risk death for the other. Such friends are trusted absolutely, unlike mere acquaintances.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the Yuan dynasty playwright Zheng Dehui's work 'Zou Mei Xiang' (《绉梅香》). In the story, the Duke of Jin (Pei Du) was trapped in grave danger amid spears and blades on the battlefield. The narrator's father threw himself into the fight to save the Duke's life and took six spear wounds in the process. Because of this act of selfless loyalty, the two men swore a friendship of life and death, bound by the memory of blood shed for one another.
💡 Example Usage
他们两人在战场上相互救助，结成了生死之交。
The two men saved each other on the battlefield and became sworn friends for life and death.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 生死之交
- Pinyin: shēng sǐ zhī jiāo
- Literal Translation: life, death, of, friendship
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4