物以类聚

Pronunciation: wù yǐ lèi jù Literal meaning: Things gather by kind

Origin & Usage

The parent line is in the Book of Changes — 方以类聚，物以群分, things gather by kind and divide by group — and the Warring States gave it an illustration in Chunyu Kun, who when asked to find talent for the king produced seven capable men at once. Challenged that talent must surely be rarer than that, he answered that birds of a kind roost together, so anyone who knows one such man knows several. The phrase is neutral in the classic and has soured in use: today 物以类聚 is most often said of bad company, with the second half 人以群分 following and the judgement implied rather than stated.

Examples

English: "In the world of business, like-minded individuals often come together to form successful partnerships."

Chinese: 在商业世界中，同类的人往往聚在一起形成成功的合作关系。