Definition
衣食父母 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) that literally means 'clothes, food, father, mother' but refers to the people or group on whom one's livelihood depends — typically customers for a business, or supporters for an artist or performer. It emphasizes that these people are as essential as one's own parents for survival.
id.
those on whom one's livelihood depends (e.g., customers, patrons, supporters)
Examples
- 衣食父母，。Gùkè jiù shì wǒmen de yī, yídìng yào fúwù hǎo.Customers are our livelihood — we must serve them well.
- ，衣食父母。Zuòwéi yǎnyuán, guānzhòng jiù shì tā de yī.As an actor, the audience is his livelihood.
- 衣食父母，。Méiyǒu zhèxiē yī, gōngsī zǎo jiù dǎobì le.Without these patrons, the company would have gone bankrupt long ago.
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