"I did not kill Boren, but Boren died because of me" comes from "Book of Jin·Biography Thirty-Nine". The Boren in the phrase refers to Zhou Wei during the Jin Dynasty. This sentence is what Director Wang said back then, which means that I did not kill Zhou Yi, but Zhou Yi died because of me, and I am very ashamed.

Allusion

The grievances and hatreds here begin with Wang Dao’s brother Wang Dun. When Wang Dun rebelled, his brother Wang Dao was afraid of being implicated, so he asked the famous scholar Zhou Wei to enter the palace to intercede, and asked the emperor to be lenient.

Indeed, Zhou Yi did as he said. The Emperor of Jin exempted Wang Dao from punishment, but Zhou Wei, who was not good at showing off, did not tell Wang Dun about his plea to the emperor.

After Director Wang was pardoned, he began to resent Zhou Wei for not helping him back then, and he kept this incident in mind.

Later, after his elder brother Wang Dun took over the power in the court, he once asked Zhou Wei how he was. His younger brother Wang Dao remained silent, so Wang Dun thought Zhou Wei was evil and killed him.

Later, when Director Wang was sorting out royal documents, he saw the memorial written by Zhou Wei to plead for his mercy. For a moment, he burst into tears and sighed, "I didn't kill Boren, but Boren died because of me." He regretted that he had misunderstood Zhou Wei, and it was his silence that killed him.

This is the origin and background story of this sentence. Later, people applied this sentence to other situations, such as when their own fault caused losses to others, including personal and property, to express their inner feelings. Can be used when you feel ashamed.

Indeed, many things in the world are inextricably linked. Some are within our control, and some are beyond our control; some are directly caused by us, and some are indirectly caused by us. We rise. We must be people who can distinguish right from wrong and be upright.