The phrase "the acquaintance of chickens and millets" comes from "The Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Du Xingzhuan", which is one of the "eight acquaintances of worshipers".
Shifan, courtesy name Juqing, was born in Jinxiang, Shanyang (now Jinxiang County, Shandong) in the Eastern Han Dynasty. A Fan Si. He was friends with Zhang Shao, a native of Runan, whose courtesy name was Yuan Bo. They both studied at Taixue (the highest institution of higher education in the imperial court) at the same time. Later, Shi Shi was about to return to his hometown. He said to Zhang Shao, "I will come back in two years and will pass by your house to visit your parents and children." So the two agreed on a date. Later, when the appointed date was approaching, Zhang Shao told his mother everything in detail and asked her to prepare food and wine to wait for Fan Shi. Zhang Shao's mother said: "We have been separated for two years. Although we have agreed on a date, we are thousands of miles apart. How can you be sure?" Zhang Shao said: "Shifan is a trustworthy person and will definitely not break the contract." His mother said: "If that's the case, I'll make wine for you." As expected, the paradigm arrived on the agreed date. After meeting Zhang Shao's mother, Fan and Zhang had a drink together and had a good time before saying goodbye and leaving.
Later Zhang Shao fell ill, which was very serious. Zhi Junzhang and Yin Zizheng, both from the same county, visited him day and night. When Zhang Shao was dying, he sighed and said: "It is a pity that I have not met my life and death friend." Yin Zizheng said: "Zhi Junzhang and I have devoted ourselves to making friends with you. If we cannot be called your life and death friend, who will?" Can it be counted?" Zhang Shao said, "You two are my close friends in life; Fan Juqing from Shanyang is my close friend in death." Zhang Shao died of illness soon after.
Shi Fan suddenly dreamed of Zhang Shao, wearing a black hat and robe, and called him hastily: "Ju Qing, I will die on a certain day, be buried on a certain day, and return to the underworld forever. "You haven't forgotten me, how can you not come?" Fan Shi suddenly woke up, lamenting and crying, so he put on his mourning clothes and rode on horseback to see Zhang Shao buried. I was already in mourning before I even got there. When we arrived at the grave, the coffin was about to fall, but it refused to go in. Zhang Shao's mother touched the coffin and said, "Zhang Shao, do you still have a wish?" Then she stopped to bury it. After a while, I saw a white chariot and a white horse coming wailing. Zhang Shao's mother saw it and said, "This must be Fan Juqing." After Fan Shi arrived, she expressed her condolences and said, "I have left Uncle Yuan, and my life and death are different. We will never see you again." Thousands of people who attended the funeral shed tears for him. Paradigm personally pulled the rope pulling the coffin, and the coffin moved forward. Paradigm then lived next to the tomb, planted a grave tree for him, and then left.