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相濡以沫

xiāng rú yǐ mòdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(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
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-671d68584113579a. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

相濡以沫 相濡以沫 [xiang1 ru2 yi3 mo4] /(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/

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.

  • 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

  • 濡
    rú

    dilatory / to moisten

  • 以
    yǐ

    to use / by means of / according to / in order to / because of / at (a certain date or place)

    Yǐ

    abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yǐ sè liè]

  • 沫
    mò

    foam / suds

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.