唇亡齿寒

唇亡齒寒
chúnwángchǐhán
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 without lips, the teeth feel cold
  2. 2 mutual dependence between neighbors
  3. 3 when one falls, the other is exposed

Examples

Liǎng guó chún wáng chǐ hán, yīnggāi liánhé qǐlái.
The two nations depend on each other — they should unite.
Shàng xiàyóu chǎnyè chún wáng chǐ hán, yī róng jù róng.
Upstream and downstream industries are interdependent — they rise and fall together.
Línlǐ zhī jiān chún wáng chǐ hán, lǐ yīng hùxiāng zhàoying.
Neighbors share a fate; they ought to look out for one another.

Tips

history
From 《左传·五年》: the Duke of Yu ignored the warning that (Jin) and (Yu) were 'lips and teeth' — when Jin attacked Guo via Yu, Yu too was swallowed. The phrase later reappears in 《左传·》 about Lu and the Qi-Jin powers.

Stroke Order

chún
wáng
齿 chǐ
hán