📖 Meaning
To beg or seek assistance from one's relatives and friends. It describes turning to family and acquaintances for help, typically when in financial difficulty, rather than being self-sufficient. The phrase carries a slightly negative connotation of dependence on others.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from Chapter 42 of 'Dream of the Red Chamber' (红楼梦) by Cao Xueqin of the Qing Dynasty. In the story, after Wang Xifeng's daughter Qiaojie falls ill, Granny Liu visits and later offers advice about the child's future. She suggests the family could engage in small business or buy some farmland, so they would never again need to seek help from relatives and friends. The passage reflects the traditional Chinese value of self-reliance over dependence on others.
💡 Example Usage
失业后他不愿求亲靠友，决定自己创业。
After losing his job, he refused to seek help from relatives and friends and decided to start his own business.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 求亲靠友
- Pinyin: qiú qīn kào yǒu
- Literal Translation: seek, relatives, rely on, friends
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4