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相濡以沫
Mandarin · pinyin xiāng rú yǐ mò
Meanings
- (lit.) (of fish) to moisten each other with spittle (when out of the water) (idiom)
- (fig.) to share meager resources and support each other in times of difficulty
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Mandarin tones
1–2–3–4 · xiang1 ru2 yi3 mo4
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
soeng1 jyu4 ji5 mut6
Cantonese word readings for 相濡以沫. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (figurative) to help each other pull through a crisis; mutual help when both are in humble situations
- (figurative, of a loving couple) to accompany each other through times of prosperity and hardships till the end of time
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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