相 依 为 命

xiāng yī wéi mìngdictionary entry

mutually dependent for life (idiom) / to rely upon one another for survival / interdependent

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-5bec4fe41026759e. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

相依為命 相依为命 [xiang1 yi1 wei2 ming4] /mutually dependent for life (idiom); to rely upon one another for survival/interdependent/

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: 相依為命

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
依
yī
to depend on / to comply with or listen to sb / according to / in the light of
为
wéi
as (in the capacity of) / to take sth as / to act as / to serve as / to behave as / to become / to be / to do / by (in the passive voice)
wèi
because of / for / to
命
mìng
life / fate / order or command / to assign a name, title etc

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.