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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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