mat6 ji5 leoi6 zeoi6物以類聚物以类聚

Jyutpingmat6 ji5 leoi6 zeoi6

Yalemaht yíh leuih jeuih

語句Uncommon

Definition

Birds of a feather flock together; things of a similar nature gather together.

colloquialpeopledescriptions

How it's used

This idiom is almost always used to describe people rather than inanimate objects, despite the literal meaning. It carries a slightly cynical or observational tone when pointing out why certain groups of people hang out together. It is very common to hear the full phrase 物以類聚，人以群分 in more formal or literary contexts, but in daily speech, the first four characters are sufficient to make the point.

Examples

keoi5佢dei6哋seng4成baan1班jan4人zung1鍾ji3意daa2打gei1機，zan1真hai6係mat6物ji5以leoi6類zeoi6聚。

They all love playing video games; birds of a feather really flock together.

nei5你gin3見keoi5佢dei6哋gam3咁ngaam1啱king1傾，mai1咪mat6物ji5以leoi6類zeoi6聚lo3囉。

You see how well they get along; it is just a case of birds of a feather flocking together.

Common phrases

mat6物ji5以leoi6類zeoi6聚，jan4人ji5以kwan4群fan1分

birds of a feather flock together, people group by their kind

Common mistake

Learners often try to use this to describe physical objects, but it is overwhelmingly used for social groups or personality types. Using it to describe literal piles of similar items sounds unnatural and overly formal.