息息相关
- Literal
- breath by breath, connected to each other
- Figurative
- To be so closely bound together that whatever happens to one immediately affects the other; to be tied by a shared interest.
Where does 息息相关 come from?
It doesn't come from a story: it's a set phrase of the written register. 息 is breath; doubled, 息息 suggests "with every breath, without a break," and 相关 means "to be connected." Together they picture two things so tightly linked that they breathe in time: whatever touches one is felt at once by the other. The usual pattern uses 和 or 与 ("X 和 Y 息息相关"), and it sounds somewhat formal, very common in the press and in public speeches.
How is 息息相关 used? Two examples
- 空气质量和每个人的健康息息相关。
Air quality is directly bound up with everyone's health.
- 这项政策和我们的钱包息息相关，别不当回事。
This policy hits our wallets directly, so don't brush it off.
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