📖 Meaning
To abandon those who share one's background or kinship and instead associate with outsiders or those of different origins. It can also refer to discarding established or commonly held views in favor of novel or unconventional theories. The idiom carries a connotation of forsaking the familiar for the foreign.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase reflects an ancient political and social concern about loyalty and affiliation. In classical Chinese thought, maintaining ties with one's own clan and shared doctrines was considered a virtue, while abandoning them to court alien groups or heterodox ideas was seen as a sign of moral drift. The idiom likely emerged from commentaries on rulers or scholars who distanced themselves from their own lineage and orthodox teachings. Over time it came to describe both political betrayal and intellectual opportunism.
💡 Example Usage
他登基后弃同即异，疏远宗室亲信，转而重用外戚掌权。
After ascending the throne, he forsook his own kin and instead empowered his in-laws to rule.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 弃同即异
- Pinyin: qì tóng jí yì
- Literal Translation: abandon, same, approach, different
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4