同是天涯沦落人

同是天涯淪落人

tóngshìtiānyálúnluòrén

phrase

Meanings

1 we are both unfortunates drifting at the world's end
2 two souls sharing the same sad fate
3 (lit.) both are people fallen to the ends of the earth

Characters

same / together

sink / fall into

Examples

听完她的故事，我才明白同是天涯沦落人，何必再分彼此。

Tīng wán tā de gùshì, wǒ cái míngbái tóng shì tiānyá lúnluò rén, hébì zài fēn bǐcǐ.

After hearing her story, I realized we are two souls adrift — why hold each other at a distance?

他们在异乡相遇，颇有同是天涯沦落人的感慨。

Tāmen zài yìxiāng xiāngyù, pō yǒu tóng shì tiānyá lúnluò rén de gǎnkǎi.

Meeting in a foreign land, they felt keenly the sorrow of fellow exiles.

Tips

history

From Bai Juyi's (白居易) Tang-dynasty narrative poem 《琵琶行》 (Song of the Pipa). The full couplet is 『同是天涯沦落人，相逢何必曾相识』— 'we are both wanderers cast to the world's edge; why must we have met before to feel close?' Bai wrote it after hearing a former courtesan play pipa on the Xunyang River, recognizing in her fate a mirror of his own demotion.

usage

Often quoted as just the first half, with the second half 『相逢何必曾相识』implied. Used between strangers who discover they share hardship or exile.

Stroke Order

同 tóng

是 shì

天 tiān

涯 yá

沦 lún

落 luò

人 rén