悌道：兄友弟恭 笃爱意诚
In traditional culture, the relationship between siblings (兄弟姐妹) is very important. An old saying compares siblings to a person’s “hands and feet”, implying they are indispensable parts of each other, and many other idioms attest to the importance of this relationship.
Kind elder brother and respectful younger brother
In Confucian teachings, the bond between brothers is very important. Just as children are supposed to be filial to their parents, younger brothers have to show respect to their elder brothers, which is known as “ti” (悌). In return, older brothers need to take care of and be nice to their younger siblings.
Burn the mugwort (艾蒿) and share the pain
Zhao Kuangyin, Emperor Taizu of the Song dynasty, was historically known as a good brother. According to the History of Song, when his younger brother Zhao Guangyi got sick, Emperor Taizu burned mugwort and put it on his brother’s acupoints (穴位). This was thought to be helpful but painful, so Emperor Taizu burned himself with mugwort to share his brother’s pain. Eventually, this saying came to describe deep affection between siblings.
Boiling beans with beanstalks
Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, sons of famous warlord Cao Cao, were both good at writing poems, but Cao Zhi had a better reputation. After their father died, the older brother Cao Pi inherited the throne of the State of Wei. Out of jealousy, he wanted to kill Cao Zhi. He told Cao Zhi to write a poem in seven steps or else he would be killed. Cao Zhi saw through his brother’s intentions, and produced a poem to express how heartbroken he was:
People burn the beanstalk to cook beans,
The beans in the pot cry out.
They are born of the same root,
Why should they hound each other to death?
This poem became very famous and it was summarized into a chengyu describing brothers harming one another.
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