老死不相往來

Chinese

to die of old age; to die a natural death; close friend
to die of old age; to die a natural death; close friend; very good friend
 
 not; no
each other; appearance; portrait
each other; appearance; portrait; picture; one another; mutually
 
to go back and forth; to come and go; to have dealings with
to go back and forth; to come and go; to have dealings with; to have contact with; to communicate; to exchange
 
trad. (老死不相往來) 老死 不 相 往來
simp. (老死不相往来) 老死 不 相 往来

Etymology

From Tao Te Ching, Chapter 80:

隣國相望，雞犬之声相聞，民至老死不相往來。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
邻国相望，鸡犬之声相闻，民至老死不相往来。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
From: Tao Te Ching, 4th century BCE
Línguó xiàngwàng, jī quǎn zhī shēng xiàng wén, mín zhì lǎosǐ bù xiàng wǎnglái. [Pinyin]
Though neighbouring kingdoms stand within sight of each other, where dog's barking and cock's crowing echo to and fro one another, people grow old and die without ever visiting their neighbours.

Some claim that the original meaning was “(of two neighbouring countries) to never have any conflicts and wars”.

Pronunciation

Idiom

老死不相往來

  1. (of two entities) to never have contact with each other; to never interact
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