CHENGYU
唇亡齿寒(chún wáng chǐ hán)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《左传·僖公五年》
MEANING
- Literal
- when the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold
- Figurative meaning
- neighbors and allies share one fate; neither survives alone
ORIGIN STORY
The state of Jin asked to march through Yu to attack Guo. A minister of Yu warned the duke: "Guo and Yu are lips and teeth — when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold." The duke refused to listen; Jin destroyed Guo, then Yu.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to be joined at the hip; in the same boat”
EXAMPLES
这两家公司唇亡齿寒，必须互相支持。Zhè liǎng jiā gōngsī chún wáng chǐ hán, bìxū hùxiāng zhīchí.HSK6
The two companies are lips and teeth; they must support each other.
供应商倒了，我们也撑不住，这就是唇亡齿寒。Gōngyìngshāng dǎo le, wǒmen yě chēng bù zhù, zhè jiù shì chún wáng chǐ hán.HSK6
If our supplier falls, we will not last either — the lips gone, the teeth chilled.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It describes shared dependence, not general sympathy.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
唇chúnlips
亡wángto be gone
齿chǐteeth
寒háncold
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01