as the shadow follows the form(rú yǐng suí xíng)

as the shadow follows the form

The Chinese idiom, R ú y ǐ ngsu í x í ng, means that the shadow always follows the body. It means that two things are closely related or two people are closely related and cannot be separated. It comes from Guan Zi Ren FA written by Guan Zhong in the pre Qin period.

The origin of Idioms

"Guanzi · Renfa" says: "however, the matter under the background is also like the response of the voice; the subject of the minister is also like the shadow's obedience to the form." In Shuo yuan · Jun Dao written by Liu Xiang of Han Dynasty, it is said that "the response of heaven to human beings is like the shadow following the shape, and the effect of the sound is the same."

Idiom usage

It can be used as predicate, object, attributive and clause; it has a close relationship with adjective; it can be used as an example; good and evil are obvious. (the seventy first chapter of Jing Hua Yuan by Li Ruzhen in Qing Dynasty)

Chinese PinYin : rú yǐng suí xíng