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.
在传统文化中，兄弟姐妹之间的关系非常重要。有句老话把兄弟姐妹比作一个人的“手和脚”，暗示他们是彼此不可或缺的一部分，还有许多其他成语证明了这种关系的重要性。
Kind elder brother and respectful younger brother
兄友弟恭
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.
在儒家教义中，兄弟之间的纽带是非常重要的。就像孩子应该孝顺父母一样，弟弟也要尊重哥哥，这就是所谓的“悌”。作为回报，哥哥需要照顾和善待他们的弟弟妹妹。
Burn the mugwort (艾蒿) and share the pain
灼艾分痛
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.
宋太祖赵匡胤在历史上被称为好兄弟。据《宋史》记载，当他的弟弟赵光义生病时，太祖把艾草烧在弟弟的穴位上。这被认为是有帮助的，但很痛苦，所以太祖也给自己艾灸，与弟弟共尝疼痛之苦。最终，这句话被用来形容兄弟姐妹之间的深厚感情。
Boiling beans with beanstalks
煮豆燃萁
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:
曹丕和曹植是著名军阀曹操的儿子，他们都擅长写诗，但曹植的名气更大。父亲死后，哥哥曹丕继承了魏国的王权。出于嫉妒，他想杀了曹植。他让曹植在七步内写一首诗，否则就杀了他。曹植看穿了哥哥的用意，写了一首诗来表达他的心碎：
People burn the beanstalk to cook beans,
煮豆燃豆萁，
The beans in the pot cry out.
豆在釜中泣。
They are born of the same root,
本是同根生，
Why should they hound each other to death?
相煎何太急。
This poem became very famous and it has been summarized into a chengyu describing brothers harming one another.
这首诗非常有名，它被总结成一个描述兄弟互相伤害的成语。
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