相依为命

• Pinyin: xiāng yī wéi mìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 相 = 木 + 目 (mutual); 依 = 亻+ 衣 (person leaning on clothing — depend); 为 = action; 命 = 口 + 叩 (life/fate)

Meaning

To depend on each other for survival; to be inseparably bound together, especially in hardship.

A chengyu expressing extreme mutual dependence, typically in contexts of poverty, loss, or adversity. Often describes parent-child bonds or close companions facing hardship together. Can be used metaphorically for things deeply intertwined in nature.

Examples

1. 父亲早逝后，母子二人相依为命，共同度过了那段极为艰难的岁月。 After her father died early, the mother and child depended on each other for survival and made it through that extremely difficult period together.
2. 在荒岛上，两名幸存者相依为命，依靠彼此的力量克服了重重困难。 On a deserted island, the two survivors relied on each other to stay alive, drawing strength from one another to overcome one hardship after another.
3. 这对老夫妇失去了唯一的子女，此后数十年相依为命，令邻里无不动容。 This elderly couple lost their only child; for the following decades they depended on each other to survive, moving everyone in the neighborhood.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, narrative, family, history

Tone: emotional

Do Say

• 战乱年代，祖孙二人流离失所，相依为命地辗转多处，终于在异乡安定下来。(During the years of war and turmoil, the grandmother and grandchild were displaced and wandered from place to place, depending on each other for survival, before finally settling in a foreign land.)
• 那只老狗与独居的老人相依为命多年，成为彼此生命中最重要的陪伴。(The old dog and the elderly man living alone had depended on each other for years, becoming the most important companion in each other's lives.)

Don't Say

• 两家公司相依为命 — 相依为命 implies survival-level dependency; for business interdependence, use 相互依存 or 唇齿相依 instead

Origin & History

相依 (depend on each other) + 为命 (for the sake of life/survival) — clinging to each other for dear life

Cultural Context

Era: Classical to Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal