布衣之交 — “Friends made in one's humble or commoner days”
布衣之交 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Friends made in one's humble or commoner days”. Close friends regardless of social status, often implying a friendship formed before one achieved prominence. Literally, “Commoner's friendship”.
布衣之交 Pronunciation and Pinyin
布衣之交 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 布衣之交
Origin and Story of 布衣之交
During the Warring States period, Lord Mengchang of Qi did not punish a retainer who had fallen in love with his concubine. Instead, he prepared many gifts for him and recommended him to the ruler of the State of Wei, saying, 'We are friends from our humble days, and I hope Wei can offer you a great future.'
Later, when Wei planned to unite with other feudal lords to attack Qi, that retainer strongly advised against it, thus preventing a war.
Idioms Related to 布衣之交
Synonyms of 布衣之交
Antonyms of 布衣之交
More idioms starting with 布
- bù布tiān天gài盖dì地extremely numerous and widespread
- bù布fān帆wú无yàng恙safe and smooth journey
- bù布bó帛shū菽sù粟daily necessities
- bù布dé德shī施ēn恩Spread virtue and bestow kindness
- bù布yī衣shū疏shí食live a frugal and unpretentious life
- bù布yī衣lì粝shí食live a simple and frugal life
- bù布yī衣máng芒juē屩common people in simple attire
- bù布yī衣shū蔬shí食live a simple and frugal life
- bù布yī衣xióng雄shì世commoner who becomes a hero
- bù布yī衣wéi韦dài带commoner scholars
- bù布yī衣qián黔shǒu首common people
- bù布dài袋lǐ里lǎo老yā鸦alive but lifeless
Recommended tools
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →Questions about 布衣之交
What does 布衣之交 mean?
布衣之交 (bù yī zhī jiāo) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Friends made in one's humble or commoner days”.
How do you pronounce 布衣之交?
布衣之交 is pronounced bù yī zhī jiāo in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 布衣之交 literally mean?
Literally, 布衣之交 means “Commoner's friendship”. It is used to mean “Friends made in one's humble or commoner days”.
Where does 布衣之交 come from?
布衣之交 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 布衣之交?
布衣：平民。旧指贫寒老友。