1.
inseparable bond; relationship that persists despite one's wishes
A relationship or connection that continues even though the people involved may not always want it to. Often used with a tone of resignation or wry humor about a long-standing tie that simply cannot be severed.
We've been tied together since elementary school and still see each other often.
Literally 'rotten connection' — a bond so deep it cannot be cut even if it has gone bad. Despite the negative literal meaning, it is often used with affection or humor about long-standing friendships. 腐れ is the continuative form of 腐る (to rot), and 縁 means connection or fate. Not to be confused with purely negative relationships; it often describes friendships that have endured despite ups and downs. The expression implies a certain inevitability — this is a connection that fate (or habit) has made permanent.