兄弟阋墙

兄弟鬩牆
xiōngdì-xìqiáng
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 brothers quarrelling at home
  2. 2 internal strife; infighting

Examples

HSK 7-9
Wèile zhēng jiāchǎn, xiōngdì-xìqiáng, zuìhòu jìngrán shàng le fǎtíng.
The brothers fell out over the family property and in the end even went to court.
HSK 7-9
Gōngsī nèibù xiōngdì-xìqiáng, jìngzhēng duìshǒu chènjī qiǎngzǒu le tā de kèhù.
While the company was torn by infighting, its rivals took the chance to win away its customers.

Tips

history
Condensed from the 《诗经》 line 兄弟阋于墙 'brothers quarrel inside the walls', which goes on to say that against outsiders they stand together. 阋 'to quarrel' is read xì.

Stroke Order

兄 xiōng
弟 dì
阋 xì
墙 qiáng