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相处 (xiāng chǔ) — to get along (with each other), to interact, to associate

Definition

相处 emphasizes the quality of an ongoing personal relationship — how two people get along over time. Compared to 交往, which is broader and includes dating, 相处 is specifically about the day-to-day dynamic between people.

verb
to get along (with each other)to interactto associate

Examples

  • 相处，。
    Tā hěn hǎo xiāng chǔ, dà jiā dōu hěn xǐ huan tā.
    He's easy to get along with; everyone likes him.
  • 相处？
    Nǐ gēn xīn tóng shì xiāng chǔ dé zěn me yàng?
    How are you getting along with the new colleague?
  • ，相处。
    Tā men suī rán xìng gé bù tóng, dàn xiāng chǔ dé hěn yú kuài.
    Although they have different personalities, they get along very happily.

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xiāngmutual
处chùassociate

相 contributes mutual or each other to 处, meaning to associate or get along.

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.

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
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