水乳交融

shuǐrǔ-jiāoróng
idiom #43,402

Meanings

  1. 1 lit. water and milk blending together
  2. 2 in perfect harmony; inseparably fused

Examples

HSK 4
Tāmen fūqī gǎnqíng shuǐrǔ-jiāoróng.
The couple's bond is as close as water and milk mixed together.
HSK 5
Zhè bù diànyǐng bǎ yīnyuè hé huàmiàn shuǐrǔ-jiāoróng de jiéhé zàiyìqǐ.
The film fuses music and image seamlessly into one.

Tips

history
The phrase appears in 《五灯会元》 (Song Chan Buddhist text): in a state of ultimate confusion 'milk and water cannot be told apart' - later inverted to become a positive metaphor for perfect union.
memory
Once stirred, milk and water cannot be separated - the image is about fusion so complete that the parts are no longer distinguishable.

Stroke Order

shuǐ
jiāo
róng