互相 hùxiāng mutually
mutually; with each other
How to remember 互相: 互 mutually + 相 mutual = mutually.
Characters
How it is used
- Mutually / each other, placed before the verb - 互相帮助 (hùxiāng bāngzhù) help each other, 互相尊重 (hùxiāng zūnzhòng) respect one another.
- It is an adverb, not a pronoun: you cannot say 帮助互相; the reciprocity is baked into the verb phrase.
- Near-synonym 相互 (xiānghù) is more formal/written; 互相 is the everyday spoken choice.
Example sentences
- 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.
- 磁铁互相吸引。 Cítiě hùxiāng xīyǐn.The magnets attract each other.