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形影不离 (xíng yǐng bù lí) — inseparable, always together (like form and shadow)

Definition

Idiomatic phrase meaning 'inseparable like a body and its shadow' — emphasizes a long-standing, almost constant togetherness. 紧密 is a general adjective for 'close/tight' and lacks this vivid, body-and-shadow imagery.

phrase
inseparablealways together (like form and shadow)

Examples

  • 形影不离，。
    Tā men liǎ xíng yǐng bù lí, qù nǎ r dōu yì qǐ.
    The two of them are inseparable; they go everywhere together.
  • 形影不离，。
    Zhè duì qíng lǚ xíng yǐng bù lí, zhēn shì xiàn mù rén.
    This couple is inseparable — really enviable.
  • 形影不离。
    Wǒ men cóng xiǎo xué jiù shì xíng yǐng bù lí de hǎo péng you.
    We have been inseparable good friends since elementary school.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

形影form and shadow
形xíngform影yǐngshadow
联合Coordinate
不离do not part
不bùnot离líseparate
偏正Modifier + head

形 and 影 do not part, so the pair is inseparable.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
井
井jǐng形xíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

形 is made from 彡 and 井, with 井 providing the sound.

Open 形 →

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
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
景
景jǐng影yǐng
Same sound today

影 pairs 景, which gives the sound and also carries the idea of image, with 彡, the part that points to shadow.

Open 影 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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 離; 离 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
离
离lí離lí
Same sound today

The traditional form 離 pairs 隹, a bird, with the sound part 离; the simplified 离 is a shorthand. This form first wrote a black-naped oriole, and the sound was borrowed for 'leave'.

Open 离 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Friends & SocialIdioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.