同林鸟

同林鸟

Literally means:

birds in one grove

Actually means:

couple who get divorced easily

According to an ancient story, after a farmer was killed by a snake, his wife told people: as a pair of birds perch in the same tree tonight but will fly away from each other for food tomorrow, a couple meet and part as decreed by providence.

Later on, the phrase 夫妻本是同林鸟 or 同林鸟 was used as a metaphor to mean a couple who get married or divorced at their discretion.

Now it also refers to people who meet and part easily.

古代的故事中有个农夫被蛇咬死了，他老婆对人说：夫妻就像飞鸟，头一天晚上同在一棵树上休息，第二天一早为了寻觅食物就各自飞走，有缘即合，无缘即离。

后来就用“夫妻本是同林鸟”或“同林鸟”来比喻随意结合或离异的夫妻。

现在也指聚合或离散随便的人。