📖 Meaning
Neither a relative nor an old acquaintance. Describes two people who share no familial ties or prior friendship — complete strangers with no connection whatsoever.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in a poem titled 'Sent to Jia Dao' (寄贾岛) by the Tang Dynasty poet Ma Dai (马戴). In the poem, Ma Dai writes of jade pendants and clanging gold, saying they are 'neither kin nor old friends' — using the phrase to describe two fine things that, though equally precious, have no inherent bond. Over time, the expression shifted from describing objects to describing human relationships, cementing its meaning of having no prior connection between people.
💡 Example Usage
我与他非亲非故，实在不便开口借钱。
He and I are neither relatives nor old friends, so it's really not appropriate for me to ask him for a loan.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 非亲非故
- Pinyin: fēi qīn fēi gù
- Literal Translation: not kin, not old-friend
- Category: Status
- Characters: 4