形影不离

Pronunciation: xíng yǐng bù lí Literal meaning: Body and shadow never separate

Origin & Usage

Form (形) and shadow (影) not (不) parting (离). The image is of company as unbreakable as the one thing that genuinely cannot leave you — and Chinese poetry had long used the shadow the other way about, as the only companion a solitary person has. That older and bleaker sense sits underneath the modern one and is worth knowing. Now it describes two people constantly in each other's company, best friends or a devoted couple, and it is warm, with a faint suggestion that other people have noticed.

Examples

English: "The two friends are inseparable, always seen together."

Chinese: 这两个朋友形影不离，总是在一起。