相依为命
xiāng yī wéi mìng
to depend on each other for survival; to have only each other
Character by character
相xiāng
each other
each other
依yī
lean on
lean on
为wéi
as
as
命mìng
life
life
Example
父亲去世以后，他和奶奶相依为命，日子过得很苦。
After his father died, he and his grandmother had only each other, and life was very hard.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Usually of family members in hard times: a widow and her son, a grandparent and grandchild. Said of a person and a pet it is half a joke, half the truth.
Learn this in Lesson 59 · HSK 6: 宠物经济 (The pet economy)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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