唇亡齒寒 chún wáng chǐ hán

closely linked; one fails, both suffer

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. without the lips, the teeth feel the cold (idiom); fig. intimately interdependent

Characters

Character Meaning
唇 chún HSK 6
lip; variant of 唇chún
亡 wáng HSK 6
to die; deceased; to be gone
齒 chǐ
tooth
寒 hán HSK 4
cold; poor; to tremble