# 难兄难弟

nàn xiōng nàn dì

Companions sharing similar hardship

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Brothers in difficulty

**Traditional Chinese:** 難兄難弟

**Register:** Wry · conversational

[People & connection](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/relationships)

## When to use it

Describe two people facing the same trouble, often humorously.

The reading for fellow sufferers differs from an older comparison sense.

## Understanding the expression

Two people suffering together resemble brothers joined by the same uncomfortable circumstances. Contemporary use is often affectionate or joking, as when friends both miss a train or fail an exam. The shared predicament matters more than actual kinship. It can also describe serious adversity when the context warrants it. Be aware that the written phrase has another traditional reading and sense; the fellow-sufferer use should follow the assigned pronunciation.

## Examples

我们都忘带钥匙，成了难兄难弟。

### Traditional Chinese

我們都忘帶鑰匙，成了難兄難弟。

wǒ men dōu wàng dài yào shi ， chéng le nàn xiōng nàn dì 。

We both forgot our keys and became fellow sufferers.

两个失业的朋友自称难兄难弟。

### Traditional Chinese

兩個失業的朋友自稱難兄難弟。

liǎng gè shī yè de péng yǒu zì chēng nàn xiōng nàn dì 。

The two unemployed friends called themselves companions in hardship.

他俩考试都没过，真是一对难兄难弟。

### Traditional Chinese

他倆考試都沒過，真是一對難兄難弟。

tā liǎ kǎo shì dōu méi guò ， zhēn shì yí duì nàn xiōng nàn dì 。

Both failed the exam and are truly fellow sufferers.

堵车时，两位司机成了难兄难弟。

### Traditional Chinese

堵車時，兩位司機成了難兄難弟。

dǔ chē shí ， liǎng wèi sī jī chéng le nàn xiōng nàn dì 。

Stuck in traffic, the two drivers became companions in misfortune.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%9B%A3%E5%85%84%E9%9B%A3%E5%BC%9F)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=413&webMd=1&la=0)

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