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本是同根生

běn shì tóng gēn shēng
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 we are fundamentally grown from the same root
  2. 2 to share the same origins

Examples

HSK 7-9
本是同根生，相煎何太急，兄弟不该这样争斗。
Běn shì tóng gēn shēng, xiāng jiān hé tài jí, xiōngdì bù gāi zhèyàng zhēngdòu.
'Born of the same root - why scald each other so urgently?' Brothers shouldn't fight like this.
HSK 7-9
海峡两岸本是同根生，应该和平相处。
Hǎixiá liǎng'àn běn shì tóng gēn shēng, yīnggāi hépíng xiāngchǔ.
Both sides of the Strait come from the same root and should live in peace.

Tips

history
From the 《七步诗》 (Seven-Step Poem) attributed to 曹植 of the Three Kingdoms. Legend says his brother 曹丕, suspicious of his talent, ordered him to compose a poem in seven paces or die. He improvised the lines about beans weeping as they are boiled over their own bean-stalks - kin destroying kin.
usage
A classic reproach against infighting among people who share blood, heritage, or cause. Often used in discussions of cross-Strait relations, family disputes, or sectarian conflicts. Usually paired with 相煎何太急.

Stroke Order

本 běn
是 shì
同 tóng
根 gēn
生 shēng