相依为命

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

含义

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.

例句

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。
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。
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。

用法指南

语境: literature, narrative, family, history

语气: emotional

正确说法

• 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.)

错误说法

• 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

起源与历史

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

文化背景

时代: Classical to Modern

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal