TongTong
Sign in

相伴 (xiāng bàn) — to accompany each other, to be together with

Definition

相伴 emphasizes two (or more) people staying together over time, often through life's ups and downs. It is more mutual and long-term than 陪, which simply means keeping someone company.

verb
to accompany each otherto be together with

Examples

  • 相伴。
    Tā men xiāng bàn dù guò le hěn duō kùn nan de rì zi.
    They accompanied each other through many difficult days.
  • 相伴。
    Wǒ xī wàng wǒ men yǒng yuǎn xiāng bàn.
    I hope we will always accompany each other.
  • ，相伴。
    Lǎo nián shí, yǒu bàn lǚ xiāng bàn fēi cháng zhòng yào.
    In old age, having a partner to accompany each other is very important.

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.

相xiāngmutually
伴bànaccompany

相 gives the sense of mutual action and 伴 means to accompany, so the word means to be together.

Characters in this word

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
半
半bàn伴bàn
Same sound today

伴 puts 亻 (person) beside 半. The person part fits the meaning of companion, and 半 gives the sound.

Open 伴 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Friends & Social

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.