凶终隙末 — “A relationship or friendship that starts well but ends in animosity”

凶终隙末 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a relationship or friendship that starts well but ends in animosity”. Hostility, or even violence, with former friends becoming bitter enemies. Literally, “A violent end due to a rift”.

Frequency

凶终隙末 Pronunciation and Pinyin

凶终隙末 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
凶	xiōng	4	fierce, evil, or violent
终	zhōng	8	End, final, eventually
隙	xì	12	a crack or an emotional rift
末	mò	5	end, tip, powder, secondary

Example Sentence with 凶终隙末

他们曾经是最好的搭档，没想到会凶终隙末，最后形同陌路。

They were once the best partners; it's hard to believe their relationship would come to such a hostile end, eventually becoming strangers.

Origin and Story of 凶终隙末

During the Han Dynasty, there were two men, Zhang Er and Chen Yu, who shared a bond as deep as that of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya. They had even sworn to be 'life-and-death friends.'

However, as Zhang Er rose to become a general in the Han court, conflicts arose between him and Chen Yu. Their once profound friendship deteriorated into animosity, eventually leading to Zhang Er killing Chen Yu by the Jishui River.

Similarly, two other close friends, Xiao Yu and Zhu Bo, also turned against each other due to personal interests and ultimately destroyed each other in their bitter feud.

These historical accounts illustrate how even the strongest friendships can end in hostility and tragedy.