密不可分

• Pinyin: mì bù kě fēn
• Hanzi breakdown: 密 = 宀 (roof/cover) + 必 (must, phonetic) — dense, close, intimate; 不 (not) + 可 (can, permissible) + 分 = 八 (divide) + 刀 (knife) — to separate, divide

Meaning

Inseparable; inextricably linked; too closely connected to be divided. A four-character idiom describing two things so tightly bound together that they cannot be separated.

Used to describe relationships between concepts, phenomena, institutions, or people that are fundamentally intertwined. Common in academic, political, and philosophical writing. Frequently paired with 相互依存 (mutually dependent) and used in formal argumentation to establish the indivisibility of two elements.

Examples

1. 语言与文化之间的关系密不可分，失去了语言，一个民族的文化传统便难以完整地传承下去。 Language and culture are inseparable; without a language, a people’s cultural traditions are hard to pass down intact.
2. 个人的命运与国家的兴衰从来都是密不可分的，这一点在近代中国历史中体现得尤为深刻。 An individual’s fate and a nation’s rise and fall have always been inseparably linked, something especially evident in modern Chinese history.
3. 科学研究与伦理规范是密不可分的两个维度，任何忽视伦理约束的研究都可能带来难以估量的社会风险。 Scientific research and ethical standards are inseparable dimensions; any research that ignores ethical constraints can bring social risks beyond measure.

Usage Guide

Context: philosophy, politics, academia, culture, science

Tone: analytical

Do Say

• 经济发展与生态保护并非对立的两极，而是密不可分、相互促进的有机整体，需要在政策层面实现有效整合。(Economic development and ecological conservation are not two opposing poles, but an organically intertwined and mutually reinforcing whole that needs to be effectively integrated at the policy level.)
• 这位哲学家认为，自由与责任是密不可分的概念：真正的自由必须建立在对自身行为后果的充分承担之上。(This philosopher argued that freedom and responsibility are inseparable concepts: genuine freedom must be built upon a full acceptance of the consequences of one's own actions.)

Don't Say

• 将'密不可分'用于描述可以轻易分开或本质上独立的事物 — 该成语强调根本性的不可分割，描述一般的联系或关联应用'紧密相连''息息相关'或'相互影响' (Do not use 密不可分 for things that can be easily separated or are fundamentally independent — this idiom emphasises fundamental inseparability; use 紧密相连, 息息相关, or 相互影响 for general connections or correlations)

Origin & History

密 = 宀 (roof) + 必 (must, phonetic) — close, dense, secret; 不可分 = 不 (not) + 可 (can) + 分 (to divide, separate). Together: so close that it cannot be divided.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal