When the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold. The metaphor is that the relationship is so close that they cannot lose each other.
Idiom Pronunciation:
唇亡齿寒
chún wáng chǐ hán
Origin:
《左传·僖公五年》：晋侯复假道于虞以伐虢。宫之奇谏曰：“虢，虞之表也；虢亡，虞必从之。晋不可启，寇不可玩，一之谓甚，其可再乎？谚所谓‘辅车相依，唇亡齿寒’者，其虞、虢之谓也。”
Story:
During the Spring and Autumn Period in China, Duke Xian of Jin wanted to expand his power and territory, so he found an excuse to say that the neighboring State of Guo often violated the border of Jin and he wanted to send troops to destroy the State of Guo. However, there was a state of Yu between Jin and Guo, and the crusade against Guo had to pass through the land of Yu. The two states, Yu and Guo, were connected by mountains and water, and their ancestors were both surnamed Ji, so they got along very well.
“How can we pass through the state of Yu without any problem?” Duke Xian of Jin asked his ministers. Xun Xi, the great minister, said, “The ruler of the state of Yu is a short-sighted man who is greedy for small profits. If we send him valuable jade and BMW, he will not refuse to lend us the road.” Xun Xi saw what the Duke was thinking and said, “Yu and Guo are close neighbors, and if Guo is destroyed, Yu cannot survive.
Duke Xian of Jin adopted Xun Xi’s plan. When the king of Yu saw these two precious gifts, he was overjoyed and when he heard Xun Xi’s proposal to lend the state of Yu, he agreed to do so. After hearing about this, Yu’s governor, Gong Zhiqi, quickly stopped him and said, “No, no, no. As the saying goes, ‘if your lips are gone, your teeth will not be able to survive without your lips’. I can’t lend a road to Jin.”
Duke Yu said, “Jin is a big country, and it has sent us beautiful jade and BMWs to make friends with us, so can’t we lend them a road?” Gong Zhiqi sighed repeatedly and knew that the state of Yu was not far from being destroyed, so he took his family and left the state of Yu.
Sure enough, Jin’s army borrowed the road to Yu and easily destroyed the State of Guo. The Jin army returned from the victory and stationed itself in the state of Yu under the pretext of reorganizing its troops, then launched a surprise attack and destroyed the state of Yu again at once, capturing the Duke of Yu alive. Xun Xi found the precious jade and the good horse and returned them to Duke Xian of Jin face to face. Looking at the lost and found treasures, Duke Xian of Jin said proudly, “The jade is still the same as my original piece, no change. But the horse has grown an extra tooth and is a year older than last year.”
Similar Idioms:
- 唇齿相依
- 息息相关
