投桃报李 (tóu táo bào lǐ) — to reciprocate a favor or gift with something equally generous; mutual exchange of goodwill
Definition
A chengyu meaning to repay a kindness with an equal one — literally 'throw a peach, return a plum.' It emphasizes mutual goodwill, not a one-sided favor. Close in meaning to 礼尚往来 but slightly more literary.
idiom
to reciprocate a favor or gift with something equally generousmutual exchange of goodwill
Examples
- 投桃报李，。Péng you zhī jiān jiǎng jiu tóu táo bào lǐ, hù xiāng bāng zhù.Between friends, it's important to reciprocate favors and help each other.
- ，，投桃报李。Tā sòng le wǒ yì běn shū, wǒ huí zèng le yì fú huà, yě suàn shì tóu táo bào lǐ le.He gave me a book, and I gave him a painting in return — that counts as a mutual exchange of gifts.
- 投桃报李，。Hé zuò zhōng shuāng fāng tóu táo bào lǐ, guān xì cái néng cháng jiǔ.In cooperation, only when both sides reciprocate can the relationship last long.
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