It mainly depends on who is speaking and the situation at the time. The implication is that only people with the same personality and conduct will make friends together. It often has a derogatory meaning; interpretation

A metaphor for similar things. Get together, like-minded people gather together, and those who don't, separate.

Relevant allusions to this paragraph

During the Warring States Period, there was a famous scholar named Chunyu Kun in the State of Qi. He was knowledgeable and eloquent, and was appointed as a doctor of Qi State. He often used fables, folklore, and mountain anecdotes to persuade the King of Qi instead of persuading him by speaking big principles, but he often achieved unexpected results. Once, King Xuan of Qi wanted to attack the state of Wei, so he actively mobilized the army and collected grain and grass to replenish his troops, which made the national treasury empty and the people poor, and some people had fled to other countries. Chunyu Kun was very worried about this, so he went to see King Xuan of Qi. King Xuan of Qi loved to listen to stories, and Chunyu Kun liked him and said, "I heard a story recently and want to tell it to the king." King Xuan of Qi said, "Okay, I haven't listened to your story for a long time." Chunyu Kun said "There was a black dog named Han Zilu, who was the fastest dog in the world. There was a rabbit named Dong Guo Kui, who was the most cunning rabbit in the world. One day, Han Zizhan chased Dong Guo Kui and ran around the mountain. After three laps, they chased back and forth five times over the top of the mountain. The rabbit was exhausted from running in front, and the dog was exhausted from chasing behind. They both died of exhaustion on the mountainside. A farmer saw it and left alone without spending any effort. I got this advantage." King Xuan of Qi heard what Chunyu Kun said and said with a smile, "What do you want to teach me, sir?" Chunyu Kun said, "Now Qi and Wei are at a stalemate, and the armies of both sides are very weak. The people of the two countries have suffered greatly, and I am afraid that Qin, Chu and other powerful countries are waiting behind, ready to take advantage like old farmers." After hearing this, Qi Xuangong thought it was reasonable and ordered to stop attacking Wei. King Xuan of Qi liked to recruit talents, so he asked Chunyu Kun to recommend talents. Chunyu Kun recommended seven talented people to King Xuan of Qi in one day. King Xuan of Qi was surprised and asked Chunyu Kun: "I have heard that talents are rare. If you can find a wise man within a thousand years, then there will be as many wise men as if they were standing shoulder to shoulder; if a hundred wise men can be found, A sage can appear every year, and that sage comes one after another. Now, you have recommended 7 sages in one day. Are there too many sages?" Chunyu Kun replied, "You can't say that. We know that birds of the same kind always fly together, and beasts of the same kind always move together. If people look for medicinal materials such as Bupleurum and Platycodon, they may never find them if they go to the water and depression; if they go to Liang, they will never find them. If you look behind Wenshan Mountain, you can find it in droves. This is because things of the same kind in the world always gather together. I, Chunyu Kunda, am also a wise man, so let me recommend wise men, just like in the Yellow River. It is as easy to get water from a flint as it is from a flint. I would like to recommend some more wise men to you, not just these seven!”