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坦诚相待 (tǎn chéng xiāng dài) — to treat each other with honesty and openness; to be sincere with one another

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'to treat each other with frankness and openness' — typically used about mutually honest relationships (partners, friends, negotiators), not as a generic verb for honesty.

verb
to treat each other with honesty and opennessto be sincere with one another

Examples

  • 坦诚相待，。
    Hé zuò huǒ bàn zhī jiān yīng dāng tǎn chéng xiāng dài, cái néng jiàn lì cháng qī xìn rèn.
    Business partners should treat each other honestly in order to build long-term trust.
  • ，，坦诚相待。
    Zài péng you miàn qián, wǒ men wú xū yǐn mán, tǎn chéng xiāng dài jiù hǎo.
    In front of friends, we don't need to hide anything; just be sincere with each other.
  • 坦诚相待，。
    Zhè cì tán pàn shuāng fāng dōu tǎn chéng xiāng dài, hěn kuài jiù dá chéng le xié yì.
    Both sides in this negotiation were open with each other, and an agreement was reached quickly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

坦诚open and sincere
坦tǎnopen诚chéngsincere
联合Coordinate
相待treat each other
相xiāngmutual待dàitreat
偏正Modifier + head

坦 and 诚 give open sincerity; 相 and 待 give treating each other, yielding being sincere with one another.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
旦
旦dàn坦tǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

坦 is made from 土 (earth) plus 旦, which provides the sound. The earth part shows the sense is about ground.

Open 坦 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 誠; 诚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
成
成chéng誠chéng
Same sound today

In 誠, 言 is the speech part and 成 gives the sound; this is about the traditional form 誠, not the simplified 诚.

Open 诚 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彳彳chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì待dài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

待 is built from 彳 on the left and 寺 on the right; 彳 is tied to the meaning, and 寺 gives the sound.

Open 待 →
Appears in
Friends & SocialIdioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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