兄弟鬩牆

Chinese

		brother; brethren; brothers and sisters brother; brethren; brothers and sisters; siblings	feud, fight, quarrel	wall
trad. (兄弟鬩牆)		兄弟	鬩	牆
simp. (兄弟阋墙)		兄弟	阋	墙
Literally: “brothers quarrelling inside the walls”.

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 164 (《詩經·小雅·常棣》):

兄弟鬩于牆，外禦其務。
每有良朋，蒸也無戎。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

兄弟阋于墙，外御其务。
每有良朋，蒸也无戎。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Xiōngdì xì yú qiáng, wài yù qí wǔ.
Měi yǒu liángpéng, zhēng yě wú róng. [Pinyin]

Brothers may quarrel inside the walls,
But they will oppose insult from without.
When friends, however good they may be,
Will not afford help.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiōngdìxìqiáng

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄩㄥ ㄉㄧˋ ㄒㄧˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hing¹ dai⁶ jik¹ coeng⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiōngdìxìqiáng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄩㄥ ㄉㄧˋ ㄒㄧˋ ㄑㄧㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: syongdìsìciáng
    • Wade–Giles: hsiung¹-ti⁴-hsi⁴-chʻiang²
    • Yale: syūng-dì-syì-chyáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiongdihshihchyang
    • Palladius: сюндисицян (sjundisicjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ʊŋ⁵⁵ ti⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hing¹ dai⁶ jik¹ coeng⁴
    • Yale: hīng daih yīk chèuhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hing¹ dai⁶ jik⁷ tsoeng⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: hing¹ dei⁶ yig¹ cêng⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɪŋ⁵⁵ tɐi̯²² jɪk̚⁵ t͡sʰœːŋ²¹/

Idiom

兄弟鬩牆

1. (figurative) internal dispute