How do you pronounce 唇齿相依?

唇齿相依 is pronounced chún chǐ xiāng yī in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 唇齿相依 literally mean?

Literally, 唇齿相依 means “lips and teeth depend on each other”. It is used to mean “to be as closely related and interdependent as lips and teeth”.

Where does 唇齿相依 come from?

唇齿相依 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 唇齿相依?

象嘴唇和牙齿那样互相依靠。比喻关系密切，相互依靠。

唇齿相依 — “To be as closely related and interdependent as lips and teeth”

唇齿相依 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be as closely related and interdependent as lips and teeth”. To rely on each other for survival or well-being; mutually dependent. Literally, “lips and teeth depend on each other”.

Frequency

唇齿相依 Pronunciation and Pinyin

唇chún
齿chǐ
相xiāng
依yī

唇齿相依 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
唇	chún	10	lips
齿	chǐ	8	teeth, cogs, age, disdain
相	xiāng	9	mutual or appearance
依	yī	8	rely on, according to

Example Sentence with 唇齿相依

邻里之间应该唇齿相依，互相帮助，共同营造和谐社区。

Neighbors should be as interdependent as lips and teeth, helping each other to foster a harmonious community.

Origin and Story of 唇齿相依

During the Three Kingdoms period, Emperor Wen of Wei intended to attack the Kingdom of Wu. Bao Xun, a Censor Zhongcheng, advised him, "The imperial army has repeatedly launched campaigns but failed to achieve victory. This is likely because Wu and Shu are as interdependent as lips and teeth, relying on the natural barriers of mountains and rivers, making them a formidable and difficult-to-overcome force."

Instead of considering this sound advice, Emperor Wen became furious and demoted Bao Xun to the position of Zhishu Zhifa Guan.

Idioms Related to 唇齿相依

Synonyms of 唇齿相依

Antonyms of 唇齿相依

More idioms starting with 唇

Questions about 唇齿相依

What does 唇齿相依 mean?: 唇齿相依 (chún chǐ xiāng yī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be as closely related and interdependent as lips and teeth”.
How do you pronounce 唇齿相依?: 唇齿相依 is pronounced chún chǐ xiāng yī in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 唇齿相依 literally mean?: Literally, 唇齿相依 means “lips and teeth depend on each other”. It is used to mean “to be as closely related and interdependent as lips and teeth”.
Where does 唇齿相依 come from?: 唇齿相依 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 唇齿相依?: 象嘴唇和牙齿那样互相依靠。比喻关系密切，相互依靠。

Copy the pinyin for 唇齿相依 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.