📖 Meaning
When the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold. It is a metaphor for a relationship of close mutual dependence, where the downfall of one party directly endangers the other.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Zuo Zhuan (左传·哀公八年), a historical chronicle of the Spring and Autumn period. In the eighth year of Duke Ai of Lu, the state of Lu was described as the 'lips' shielding the states of Qi and Jin—should Lu fall, Qi and Jin would be left exposed to danger, just as teeth grow cold without lips. The saying has since been used to express how two parties sharing strategic or vital interests share a common fate, and that one cannot remain safe while its neighbor perishes.
💡 Example Usage
两家公司有着紧密的合作关系，唇亡齿寒，一方的失败必然波及另一方。
The two companies are closely allied; if one fails, the other will inevitably be dragged down—lips and teeth share the same fate.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 唇亡齿寒
- Pinyin: chún wáng chǐ hán
- Literal Translation: lips, perish, teeth, cold
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4