It tells of five men who took up a dagger for a lord or patron:
曹沫,
专诸,
豫让,
聂政 and
荆轲, whose attempt on the King of Qin in 227 BC fills most of the chapter. The saying
士为知己者死 'a man will die for one who truly knows him' comes from the story of
豫让 here.
