兄弟阋于墙

兄弟鬩於牆

xiōngdìxìyúqiáng

idiom

Meanings

1 brothers quarrel within the walls
2 internal strife within a family or group (often in contrast to uniting against outsiders)

Characters

younger brother

at, within (classical)

wall (i.e. family courtyard)

Examples

兄弟阋于墙，外御其侮，该团结时必须团结。

Xiōngdì xì yú qiáng, wài yù qí wǔ, gāi tuánjié shí bìxū tuánjié.

Brothers may quarrel at home but unite against outsiders; when unity is needed, we must unite.

两家公司兄弟阋于墙，结果被对手抢了市场。

Liǎng jiā gōngsī xiōngdì xì yú qiáng, jiéguǒ bèi duìshǒu qiǎngle shìchǎng.

The two companies squabbled like brothers at home, and a competitor grabbed the market.

Tips

history

From the 《诗经·小雅·常棣》: ‘兄弟阋于墙，外御其侮。’ (Brothers may quarrel within the walls, but outside they fend off insults together.) Cited in CC-CEDICT as 兄弟阋于墙，外御其侮. The shortened form 兄弟阋墙 is also a listed chengyu meaning ‘internecine strife.’

usage

阋 (xì) = to quarrel — uncommon character, easy to misread. 于 = at / within. Often paired with 外御其侮.

Stroke Order

兄 xiōng

弟 dì

阋 xì

于 yú

墙 qiáng