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朝夕相处 (zhāo xī xiāng chǔ) — to spend all one's time together; to be together day and night (idiom)

Definition

A four-character idiom (chéngyǔ) meaning two people are together day and night, so they know each other extremely well — usually family, close friends, or partners over a long time.

phrase
to spend all one's time togetherto be together day and night (idiom)

Examples

  • 朝夕相处，。
    Tā men zhāo xī xiāng chǔ duō nián, gǎn qíng fēi cháng shēn hòu.
    They have been together day and night for many years, and their feelings are very deep.
  • 朝夕相处，。
    Dà xué sì nián wǒ men zhāo xī xiāng chǔ, jié xià le shēn hòu de yǒu yì.
    During four years of college we spent all our time together and formed a deep friendship.
  • 朝夕相处，。
    Fū qī zhī jiān zhāo xī xiāng chǔ, nán miǎn huì yǒu xiǎo mó cā.
    Between husband and wife who spend all their time together, small conflicts are inevitable.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

Originally, 朝 showed the sun rising above the ground while the moon was still in the sky, giving the sense of morning.

Open 朝 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

夕 was drawn as a crescent moon.

Open 夕 →

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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