tóng bìng xiāng liándictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
fellow sufferers empathize with each other (idiom) / misery loves company
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-55e017819e127b69. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

同病相憐 同病相怜 [tong2 bing4 xiang1 lian2] /fellow sufferers empathize with each other (idiom); misery loves company/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 同病相憐

  • 同
    tóng

    like / same / similar / together / alike / with

    tòng

    used in 胡同[hú tòng] / used in 衚衕|胡同[hú tòng]

  • 病
    bìng

    illness / CL:場|场[cháng] / disease / to fall ill / defect

  • 相
    xiāng

    each other / one another / mutually / fret on the neck of a pipa 琵琶[pí pa] (a fret on the soundboard is called a 品[pǐn])

    xiàng

    appearance / portrait / picture / government minister / (physics) phase / (literary) to appraise (esp. by scrutinizing physical features) / to read sb's fortune (by physiognomy, palmistry etc)

    Xiāng

    surname Xiang

  • 怜
    lián

    to pity

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.