Yang Zuo refers to Yang Jiao Ai and Zuo Bo Tao, who were from Yan during the Western Han Dynasty. A friendship like that between Yang Jiao'ai and Zuo Botao. A metaphor for friends between life and death.
Han Liu Xiang's "Biographies of Scholars": "During the Six Kingdoms period, Yang Jiaoai and Zuo Botao were friends. After hearing about the wise king of Chu, they both went to serve as officials. When they arrived at Liangshan, they encountered snow and ran out of food. They could not survive. Both sides were taken together, so Jiao Ai went to Chu, and Chu used him as a minister, and later buried Bo Tao."
Vernacular translation:
Yang Jiao Ai of Yan State. He and Zuo Botao are good friends. They heard that the king of Chu State was wise, so they agreed to go to Chu State together to seek officials. On their way to Chu State, they were blocked by heavy snow. Due to lack of food and clothing, both men were in danger of dying of cold and starvation.
Let him go on the road quickly, but he himself died of cold and hunger in a tree hole. Yangjiao Ai was transferred to the Chu State and was reused by the King of Chu. Later, he found the place where Zuo Botao died, took out the body and gave it a rich burial. Yang Jiao'ai said very sadly: "The reason why my friend died was because he was worried that if both of us died, no one in the world would know our reputation. What am I still doing now?" So Yang Jiao'ai also committed suicide. .
Background
Zuo Botao thought that his knowledge and talents could not match those of Yang Jiao Ai, so he gave all his clothes and food to Yang Jiao Ai; After the official, Yang Jiaoai immediately returned to the place where Zuo Botao died of freezing and buried Zuo Botao's body. Zuo Botao's mausoleum is close to Jingke's tomb, and he is disturbed by it every night. Feeling that Zuo Botao was alone, and thinking of the true past of "taking off clothes and stealing food", Yang Jiaoai decided to commit suicide and was buried next to Zuo Botao's tomb, and helped him get rid of the intrusion of Jingke's ghost.