共饮长江水

共飲長江水
gòngyǐnchángjiāngshuǐ
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 (we) share the waters of the Yangtze
  2. 2 though far apart, linked by a common river
  3. 3 (lit.) together drink the long-river water

Examples

Wǒ zhù Chángjiāng tóu, jūn zhù Chángjiāng wěi, rìrì sī jūn bù jiàn jūn, gòng yǐn Chángjiāng shuǐ.
I live at the river's head, you at its tail; each day I long for you yet never see you — we share the Yangtze's water.
Liǎng'àn rénmín gòng yǐn Chángjiāng shuǐ, xuèmài xiānglián.
The people on both banks share the Yangtze's waters — kin by blood.

Tips

history
From Li Zhiyi's (, Northern Song) 《·长江》: 长江长江日日不见长江。(I live at the Yangtze's head, you at its tail. Daily I think of you, never see you — yet we drink the same river.) A short, tender ci lyric beloved for its plain-spoken longing.
usage
Often quoted in cross-strait (两岸) political rhetoric to emphasize shared roots. Also appears in Shanghai/Wuhan/Chongqing sister-city speeches and love-at-a-distance contexts.

Stroke Order

gòng
yǐn
cháng
jiāng
shuǐ