📖 Meaning
Refers to two parties that are intimately connected and mutually dependent on each other, just as the exterior and interior of a thing cannot be separated. It describes a symbiotic relationship where each side relies on the other for survival or function.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Zizhi Tongjian' (资治通鉴), in the chapter covering the 26th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign. It appears in a strategic analysis stating that the Three Jins (Han, Zhao, and Wei) served as the defensive outer barrier for Qi and Chu, while Qi and Chu formed the inner foundation for the Three Jins. The passage notes that their strategic positions complemented each other — '形势相资，表里相依' — meaning they were mutually dependent like the outside and inside of a single entity. The idiom thus draws on the metaphor of a physical object whose exterior and interior rely on each other to form a complete whole.
💡 Example Usage
经济发展与社会稳定表里相依，缺一不可。
Economic development and social stability are mutually dependent like exterior and interior — neither can be lacking.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 表里相依
- Pinyin: biǎo lǐ xiāng yī
- Literal Translation: outside, inside, mutually, depend
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4