Definition
自相残杀 is a four-character idiom (成语) that literally means 'to kill each other within the same group'. It is used to describe internal conflict, infighting, or mutually destructive competition among people who should be allies, colleagues, or members of the same family, organization, or nation. The English 'fratricide' captures the idea of killing one's own, but the Chinese phrase is broader and can refer to any form of severe mutual harm within a group, not necessarily literal killing.
f.e.
to fight or harm each other within the same groupmutual destruction among alliesfratricideinternecine conflict
Examples
- 自相残杀，。Gōngsī nèibù de jìngzhēng yǐjīng biàn chéng le yì chǎng zì xiāng cán shā, dàjiā dōu xiǎng zhēngduó zhǔdǎo quán.The internal competition within the company has turned into a mutual destruction, with everyone trying to seize control.
- ，自相残杀。Lìshǐ shàng, zhège wángcháo yīnwèi huángshì chéngyuán zhī jiān de zì xiāng cán shā ér xùnsù shuāiluò.In history, this dynasty rapidly declined due to fratricide among the royal family members.
- 自相残杀，。Rúguǒ tuánduì jìxù zhèyàng zì xiāng cán shā xiàqù, xiàngmù kěndìng huì shībài.If the team continues this internal strife, the project will surely fail.
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