noun
inseparable as form and shadow; deeds reflecting the mind; husband and wife never apart
A yojijukugo expressing inseparable connection. The three glosses reflect different applications: a person and their deeds, a married couple, or more abstractly, form and shadow. Rare and literary.
「形影一如」は、夫婦の固い絆を表す四字熟語として使われることがある。
形影一如 is sometimes used as a yojijukugo expressing the strong bond between husband and wife.
彼の行動はまさに形影一如で、心の内がそのまま表れている。
His actions are truly 形影一如, revealing his inner thoughts exactly as they are.
A yojijukugo composed of 形 (form), 影 (shadow), 一如 (oneness, suchness). The exact origin is uncertain, but it draws on the classical metaphor of form and shadow being inseparable.