📖 Meaning
This idiom means to arrive together or come in company with others. The image is of people linking sleeves, symbolizing a group arriving at the same place simultaneously. It is often used to describe guests, delegations, or celebrities showing up together at an event.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom draws on the classical image of linking sleeves (联袂), which evokes people walking side by side with sleeves touching, a sign of closeness and togetherness. There is no single classical text cited as its origin; it grew from the broader literary convention of using sleeve imagery to denote companionship. Over time it became a set phrase meaning to arrive in each other's company. It is commonly found in modern Chinese writing describing groups of people appearing together.
💡 Example Usage
几位著名导演联袂而至，共同出席本届电影节的开幕式。
Several renowned directors arrived together to attend the opening ceremony of this year's film festival.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 联袂而至
- Pinyin: lián mèi ér zhì
- Literal Translation: join sleeves, and, arrive
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4