📖 Meaning
Refers to people treating each other without any formality or restraint, disregarding social conventions and outward appearance. It describes a relationship so close that both parties ignore etiquette and feel completely at ease with one another.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom draws on the classical Chinese philosophical concept of transcending physical form and outward conventions, themes found in the works of Zhuangzi and later literati tradition. The term '形骸' refers to the physical body, and '相忘' means to mutually forget or disregard. Together they express the ideal of a relationship so genuine that superficial boundaries dissolve. No single definitive source text is widely cited for this exact four-character combination.
💡 Example Usage
老友重逢，二人相忘形骸，畅饮至天明。
Reunited after years apart, the two old friends cast aside all formality and drank freely until dawn.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 相忘形骸
- Pinyin: xiāng wàng xíng hái
- Literal Translation: mutually, forget, physical form, body
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4