唇亡齿寒 chún wáng chǐ hán

closely linked; one side falls, 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
lip; variant of chún
to die; deceased; to be gone
tooth
cold; poor; to tremble