形影相吊 — “Body and shadow mutually comforting each other”
形影相吊 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describing someone who is utterly alone and helpless, having only their own shadow for company; extremely solitary and dependent on no one, often implying a sense of desolation or sorrow”. Literally, “body and shadow mutually comforting each other”.
形影相吊 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 形xíng
- 影yǐng
- 相xiāng
- 吊diào
形影相吊 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 形影相吊
Origin and Story of 形影相吊
After Emperor Wu of Jin unified the country, he promoted the principle of 'governing with filial piety,' advocating respect for parents and elders. He wished to recruit Li Mi, a Shangshu Lang (Secretary of the Board) from Western Shu, and issued an imperial edict appointing him as a Langzhong (Gentleman of the Household).
Li Mi, unwilling to take office at that time, submitted a memorial titled 'Chen Qing Biao' to Emperor Wu. In his plea, he explained that he and his grandmother were utterly dependent on each other, '形影相吊' (literally, body and shadow mutually comforting), and he wished to serve his grandmother until her passing before accepting an official position.
Idioms Related to 形影相吊
Synonyms of 形影相吊
Antonyms of 形影相吊
More idioms starting with 形
- xíng形yú于yán言sè色show in one's words and demeanor
- xíng形yú于cí词sè色show feelings in words and expression
- xíng形yú于cí辞sè色show feelings in words and countenance
- xíng形yú于yán颜sè色show feelings on one's face
- xíng形qīn亲zhī之guó国friendly neighboring countries
- xíng形jù具shén神shēng生Form complete, spirit arises
- xíng形zhì制zhī之shì势control by advantageous position
- xíng形jié劫shì势jìn禁restricted by circumstances
- xíng形shì势zhī之tú途path of career advancement and power
- xíng形shì势bī逼rén人The situation is pressing, compelling action
- xíng形dān单yǐng影dān单utterly alone
- xíng形dān单yǐng影shuāng双solitary and lonely
Questions about 形影相吊
- What does 形影相吊 mean?
- 形影相吊 (xíng yǐng xiāng diào) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describing someone who is utterly alone and helpless, having only their own shadow for company; extremely solitary and dependent on no one, often implying a sense of desolation or sorrow”.
- How do you pronounce 形影相吊?
- 形影相吊 is pronounced xíng yǐng xiāng diào in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 形影相吊 literally mean?
- Literally, 形影相吊 means “body and shadow mutually comforting each other”. It is used to mean “describing someone who is utterly alone and helpless, having only their own shadow for company; extremely solitary and dependent on no one, often implying a sense of desolation or sorrow”.
- Where does 形影相吊 come from?
- 形影相吊 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 形影相吊?
- 吊：慰问。孤身一人，只有和自己的身影相互慰问。形容无依无靠，非常孤单。