📖 Meaning
This idiom means not distinguishing between 'that' (the other) and 'this' (oneself). It describes a close and intimate relationship where people share everything and treat each other as one, with no division between what is mine and what is yours.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to the Song dynasty scholar Chen Liang's essay 'Comparing Xie An to Wang Dao' (谢安比王导论). Chen Liang praised Xie An for managing state affairs with an eye to the overall situation, mending differences without altering existing orders, while ensuring capable people were always appointed. The phrase '不分彼此' grew from this idea of treating all matters without making distinctions, and over time it came to describe close personal relationships where people do not separate themselves from one another.
💡 Example Usage
他们两家世代交好，不分彼此，如同一家。
Their two families have been close friends for generations, sharing everything without distinction, like one family.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不分彼此
- Pinyin: bù fēn bǐ cǐ
- Literal Translation: not, distinguish, that, this
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4