Refers to people who have shared difficult experiences or are in the same predicament; fellow sufferers or partners in adversity. It can also refer to two people who are very similar in character, often in a negative way, or who are equally remarkable in their field, making it hard to distinguish who is superior.
Era:
Ancient
Frequency:
Story:
In Yingchuan lived a man named Chen Yan, who was studious from a young age and handled matters fairly. When he became a county magistrate, he was even more honest and devoted to public service, earning the profound respect of the common people.
His elder son was Yuanfang, and his younger son was Jifang; both also possessed high moral character. Later, Yuanfang was appointed as a minister (Shizhong) by the imperial court, and though they wanted him to serve as Minister of Education (Situ), he declined. The court then made him the Director of the Imperial Secretariat (Shangshu Ling).
Because of the extremely high reputations of Chen Yan, Yuanfang, and Jifang, their images were painted on the city walls of Yuzhou at that time, so that the common people could learn from their virtues.
Yuanfang had a son named Changwen, and Jifang had a son named Xiaoxian. One day, they began to argue about their fathers' merits, each claiming his own father had greater achievements. Unable to resolve the dispute, they went together to ask their grandfather, Chen Yan, to make a judgment.
After thinking for a moment, Chen Yan told his two grandsons, 'It is difficult to determine who is the elder brother (Yuanfang) and difficult to determine who is the younger brother (Jifang). Both their merits are equally high, making it truly hard to distinguish between superior and inferior!' The two grandsons left satisfied.