相 xiāng mutual
mutual; each other
xiāng (mutually) and xiàng (appearance) - 相信 xiāngxìn, 照相 zhàoxiàng
How to remember 相: 木 tree + 目 eye = mutual. Two teenagers carve their initials into a tree, look each other in the eye and blush, the crush finally mutual.
Component breakdown
相 = 木 tree + 目 eye
- 木 tree
- 目 eye
Two teenagers carve their initials into a tree, look each other in the eye and blush, the crush finally mutual.
How it came to be
An eye and a tree: somebody standing and looking a tree over, taking its measure. When two people look each other over, the looking goes both ways, and that is mutual.
How it is used
- Read xiāng it means each other - 相信 (xiāngxìn) believe, 互相 (hùxiāng) mutually.
- Read xiàng it means looks or a photo - 照相 (zhàoxiàng) take a photo, 相机 (xiàngjī) camera, 相片 (xiàngpiàn) photo.
- As xiāng it marks reciprocity between two sides: 相同 (xiāngtóng) identical, 相反 (xiāngfǎn) opposite, 相比 (xiāngbǐ) compared with.
Characters built with 相
Words with 相
- 相信xiāngxìnto believeHSK 3
- 照相zhàoxiàngto take a photographHSK 3
- 相机xiàngjīcamera (short for 照相机)HSK 3
- 互相hùxiāngmutuallyHSK 4
- 相同xiāngtóngidenticalHSK 4
- 相反xiāngfǎnoppositeHSK 4
- 相互xiānghùeach otherHSK 4
- 相比xiāngbǐto compareHSK 4
- 相似xiāngsìsimilarHSK 5
- 相关xiāngguānrelatedHSK 5
- 相册xiàngcèphoto albumHSK 5
- 相处xiāngchǔto be in contact (with somebody)HSK 5
- 相对xiāngduìrelativelyHSK 5
- 相当xiāngdāngequivalent toHSK 5
- 相传xiāngchuánto pass onHSK 6
- 相声xiàngshengcomic dialogueHSK 6
- 相差xiāngchàto differHSK 6
- 相应xiāngyìngto correspondHSK 6
- 相等xiāngděngequalHSK 6
- 相连xiāngliánto linkHSK 6
- 真相zhēnxiàngthe truth about somethingHSK 6
- 不相上下bùxiāng-shàngxiàequally matchedHSK 7
- 争相zhēngxiāngto fall over each other in their eagerness to...HSK 7
- 亮相liàngxiàngto strike a pose (Chinese opera)HSK 7
- 息息相关xīxī-xiāngguānclosely bound up (idiom)HSK 7
- 相提并论xiāngtí-bìnglùnto discuss two disparate things togetherHSK 7
- 相约xiāngyuēto agree (on a meeting place, date etc)HSK 7
- 相继xiāngjìin successionHSK 7
- 相识xiāngshíto get to know each otherHSK 7
- 相近xiāngjìncloseHSK 7
- 相通xiāngtōnginterlinkedHSK 7
- 相遇xiāngyùto meetHSK 7
- 竞相jìngxiāngcompetitiveHSK 7
- 长相zhǎngxiàngappearanceHSK 7
- 似曾相识sìcéng-xiāngshídéjà vuHSK 8
- 刮目相看guāmù-xiāngkànto have a whole new level of respect for somebody or somethingHSK 8
- 属相shǔxiàngcolloquial term for 生肖 the animals associated with the years of a 12-year cycleHSK 8
- 相貌xiàngmàoappearanceHSK 8
- 朝夕相处zhāoxī-xiāngchǔto spend all one's time together (idiom)HSK 9
- 相伴xiāngbànto accompany somebodyHSK 9
Example sentences
- 她们穿着相同的衣服。 Tāmen chuānzhe xiāngtóng de yīfu.They're wearing identical clothes.
- 完全相反 wánquán xiāngfǎnexactly the opposite
- 我们需要互相帮助。 Wǒmen xūyào hùxiāng bāngzhù.We need to help one another.
- 每个人都要互相尊重。 Měige rén dōu yào hùxiāng zūnzhòng.Everyone should respect each other.