忘形交

wàngxíngjiāo

idiom

Meanings

1 form-forgetting friendship
2 intimate friendship that ignores status and formalities
3 friends so close that appearances don't matter

Characters

form, appearance

Examples

韩愈与孟郊一见如故，结为忘形交。

Hán Yù yǔ Mèng Jiāo yí jiàn rú gù, jié wéi wàngxíngjiāo.

Han Yu and Meng Jiao clicked instantly and became friends beyond formalities.

他们是忘形交，从不讲究客套。

Tāmen shì wàngxíngjiāo, cóng bù jiǎngjiu kètào.

They're the kind of friends who never bother with polite niceties.

Tips

history

From 《新唐书·孟郊传》: on meeting the poet Meng Jiao for the first time, Han Yu immediately treated him as a 忘形交 — a friend he would not stand on ceremony with. Sibling phrase to 忘年交 but about rank, not age.

Stroke Order

忘 wàng

形 xíng

交 jiāo