He wore thorns on his back to admit his mistakes and ask for forgiveness.(負荊請罪)
During the Warring States period in China, there was a minister in the Kingdom of Zhao named Lin Xiangru.
He made a great contribution to the Kingdom of Zhao, so the King of Zhao appointed him as the Prime Minister of the Kingdom.
There was a famous general in the Zhao Kingdom called Lian Po. He was very unhappy when he heard the news.
He said to the other ministers
How many battles have I won for our kingdom, and how many injuries have I suffered to protect our kingdom? I was eventually promoted to my present position.
(Lin Xiangru) came from humble beginnings, and when he returned from his visit to the Qin Kingdom, he was promoted to Prime Minister, a position for which I felt he was not qualified.
The next time I see him at a party or on the street, I will curse him with the most vicious words.
A minister told Lin Xiangru what Lian Po had said.
(Lin Xiangru) said with a smile after hearing these words.
Thank you for telling me. From now on, I will not attend any party where (Lian Po) is present. If I see (Lian Po) walking towards me on the street, I will immediately change my route.
A few weeks later, some ministers noticed that Lin Xiangru was avoiding meetings with Lian Po, and these ministers said to Lin Xiangru You've done nothing wrong, I don't understand why you want to avoid meeting (Lian Po)?
(Lin Xiangru) said to the ministers.
If (Lian Po) and the King of Qin were to appear at the same time, who would you be more afraid of?
The ministers replied.
We would be more afraid of the King of Qin because he controls the mighty Qin State and a powerful army.
A minister told Lin Xiangru what Lian Po had said.
(Lin Xiangru) said with a smile after hearing these words.
Thank you for telling me. From now on, I will not attend any party where (Lian Po) is present. If I see (Lian Po) walking towards me on the street, I will immediately change my route.
A few weeks later, some ministers noticed that Lin Xiangru was avoiding meetings with Lian Po, and these ministers said to Lin Xiangru You've done nothing wrong, I don't understand why you want to avoid meeting (Lian Po)?
(Lin Xiangru) said to the ministers.
If (Lian Po) and the King of Qin were to appear at the same time, who would you be more afraid of?
The ministers replied.
We would be more afraid of the King of Qin because he controls the mighty Qin State and a powerful army.
(Lin Xiangru) said.
You all fear the King of Qin, but I do not.
When I was on a diplomatic mission with our king to the Kingdom of Qin, the King of Qin humiliated us. To defend the honour of our kingdom, I bravely confronted the King of Qin head on.
I am not afraid of the King of Qin, so how can I be afraid of (Lian Po)?
The reason I would do this is because I believe Lian Po is the bravest and most skilled general in our kingdom. If I fight him to defend my own dignity, it would cause discord between us.
The Zhao Kingdom is very weak, and we don't have the capital to engage in internal strife.
I think all the ministers and generals in our country should unite and work together to fight the invasion.
Although my personal dignity is important, I believe that the security of the entire kingdom is more important than my personal dignity.
A minister told Lian Po what Lin Xiangru had said.
After hearing these words, Lian Po felt very remorseful. He regretted having insulted Lin Xiangru. He admired Lin Xiangru's vision and generosity, but he didn't know how to express his apology.
He had been in the military all his life and had a very direct and outspoken personality. Later he thought of a way to show Lin Xiangru that he admitted his mistake and asked Lin Xiangru for forgiveness.
He pulled out a lot of thorns, stripped down to his waist and carried the thorns on his back, and took the initiative to go to Lin Xiangru's house to find Lin Xiangru.
When (Lin Xiangru) saw Lian Po coming to see him with thorns on his back, Lin Xiangru was shocked.
Lian Po said to Lin Xiangru.
I regret my foolish behaviour and ask you to forgive me for what I have done.
(Lin Xiangru) took (Lian Po's) hand and saw that (Lian Po's) back was covered with blood from being pierced by thorns.
(Lin Xiangru) was able to react quickly and respond to the King of Qin at the dinner, but at that moment, he didn't know what to say.
The two of them stood there in silence. After a few minutes, Lin Xiangru took the initiative and hugged Lian Po.
They later became best friends.
The idiom literally means that he wore thorns on his back, acknowledging his mistakes and asking for forgiveness.
This idiom is used to describe a person who admits his mistakes to another person and asks for forgiveness.
Dear friends, what inspiration or thoughts do you have after listening to this story?
If someone is rude to you, will you fight back immediately or tolerate it? If you were Lian Po, how would you express your apology with concrete actions?
I hope this story can give you some new insights.
負荊請罪(He wore thorns on his back to admit
his mistakes and ask for forgiveness.)
中國的戰國時代，趙王國有一個大臣名字叫(藺相如)。
他為趙王國立下一個大功勞因此趙王國的國王聘請他擔任王國的總理。
趙王國有一位名字叫做(廉頗)的著名的將軍)，他聽到這件事就很不開心。
他對其他的大臣說。
我為了我們王國打贏了多少次勝仗，我為了保護我們的王國我受了多少的傷。我終於升任到現在的職位。
(藺相如)的出身卑微，他到秦王國出訪回來之後就升職成為總理，我覺得他沒有資格擔任這個職務。
如果我下次在宴會中或是在路上遇見他，我一定會用最惡毒的言語去罵他。
有一個大臣把(廉頗)所說的話告訴(藺相如)。
(藺相如)聽到這些話後他微笑著說。
謝謝你告訴我這件事，從今天開始只要有(廉頗)參加的聚會我就不參加，如果我在路上走路時看見(廉頗)向我走過來，我就會立刻改走別條路。
幾個禮拜後，有一些大臣發現藺相如一直迴避與廉頗碰面，這些大臣對藺相如說。你並沒有犯錯，我不懂你為何要避免與(廉頗)碰面呢?
(藺相如)對這些大臣說。
若是(廉頗)與秦王國的國王兩個人同時出現，你們會比較畏懼誰呢?
這些大臣回答。
我們會比較畏懼秦王國的國王，因為他掌握著強大的秦國，他控制著一支強大的軍隊。
(藺相如)說。
你們都畏懼秦王國的國王但我不畏懼他。
我與我們國王出使秦王國的時候秦王國的國王羞辱我們，我為了捍衛我們王國的榮譽所以我勇敢的正面與秦王國的國王發生衝突。
我連秦王國的國王都不畏懼，我又怎麼會害怕(廉頗)呢?
我會這樣做的原因是因為我認為廉頗是我們王國中最勇敢善戰的將軍，我若是為了捍衛自己的尊嚴去反擊(廉頗)那麼會造成我們之間的不和睦。
趙王國很弱小，我們沒有內鬥的本錢。
我認為我們國內的所有大臣與將軍都應該團結在一起並且一致對抗的侵擾。
我個人的尊嚴雖然重要，但是我認為整個王國的安全比我個人的尊嚴更重要。
有一個大臣把(藺相如)的話告訴(廉頗)。
(廉頗)聽完這些話後內心覺得很懊悔，他後悔自己對藺相如的辱罵，他很佩服藺相如的眼光與氣度，他不知道該如何具體的表達自己的歉意。
他一輩子從事軍職，個性很直接並且坦率，後來他想到他可以用一個方式來向藺相如表示他承認自己的錯誤並請求藺相如的原諒。
他去拔了許多的荊棘，他光著上半身並把這些荊棘揹在身上，他主動到藺相如的家中去找藺相如。
當(藺相如)看到廉頗揹著荊棘來見自己時，藺相如嚇了一跳。
廉頗對藺相如說。
我為我愚蠢的行為感到後悔，我懇求你原諒我所做的事。
(藺相如)牽起(廉頗)的手，他看到(廉頗)的背上滿是被荊棘刺傷留下來的血。
(藺相如)能夠在晚宴上快速的反應並且回應秦王國的國王，但此刻他卻不知道該說什麼。
他們兩個人就沉默的站著，幾分鐘後，藺相如主動擁抱廉頗。
他們兩個人後來變成最好的朋友。
這句成語直接翻譯的意思是他的背上揹著荊棘，他用這種方式表示承認自己的錯誤並請求原諒。
這句成語被用來形容一個人向另一個人承認自己的錯誤，並請求原諒。
親愛的朋友，你聽完這個故事有怎樣的啟發或有怎樣的想法呢。
面對別人對你的無禮時，你會立刻反擊還是會包容呢?若你是(廉頗)，你會怎樣用具體的行動表達自己的歉意呢?
我希望這故事能讓你產生一些新的收穫。
出處為史記-藺相如列傳
https://ctext.org/shiji/lian-po-lin-xiang-ru-lie-zhuan/zh