grieve for one's kind; sadness at the loss of a peer
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesidiom
to grieve when one's own kind suffers; to feel sad at the death or misfortune of a companion or peer
Originally from folk tales where the fox grieves for the dead rabbit because they are both hunted animals. Often used in the set phrase '兔死狐悲，物伤其类'. Now commonly used to describe feeling sad or worried when one's colleagues, peers, or those in similar situations suffer misfortune.
Seeing his colleague get laid off, he couldn't help feeling sadness for his own kind.
Hearing the news that the company next door went bankrupt, we all felt a sense of 'when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves'.
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When the rabbit dies the fox grieves, when one thing is injured its kind is hurt—seeing companies in the same industry close down one by one, he couldn't help worrying about his own future.
Although they were competitors, when news came that the other party had gone bankrupt, he still felt the sadness of 'when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves'.