亲如兄弟 (qīn rú xiōng dì) — as close as brothers; as close as flesh and blood

Definition

A chengyu describing people whose bond feels like blood siblings — closer than mere friends, and earned through shared experience rather than family ties.

idiom
as close as brothersas close as flesh and blood

Examples

  • ，亲如兄弟。
    Tā men liǎ cóng xiǎo yì qǐ zhǎng dà, gǎn qíng qīn rú xiōng dì.
    The two of them grew up together and are as close as brothers.
  • ，亲如兄弟。
    Wǒ men tuán duì de rén hù xiāng bāng zhù, qīn rú xiōng dì.
    The people on our team help each other and are as close as brothers.
  • ，亲如兄弟。
    Yì qǐ jīng lì guò nà me duō fēng yǔ, dà jiā zǎo yǐ qīn rú xiōng dì.
    Having been through so many storms together, we are already as close as brothers.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 親; 亲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn親qīn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 親 uses 見 (see) for sense and 辛 (a chisel) for sound; the simplified 亲 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 亲 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The shape 兄 puts 口, a mouth, above 儿 to express the idea of giving orders; this fits the old meaning of an elder brother.

Open 兄 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

弟 pictures a spear handle wrapped in a leather strap. The wrapping showed order, and that meaning was extended to a younger brother.

Open 弟 →

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