相待 (xiāng dài) — to treat (someone, especially in a reciprocal or formal manner)

Definition

相待 is a formal/literary verb meaning 'to treat (someone)', almost always used in fixed phrases like 以诚相待 or 以礼相待. The reciprocal 相- signals a two-way relationship — 'to treat each other' rather than one-sided. Prefer 对待 for everyday use.

verb
to treat (someone, especially in a reciprocal or formal manner)

Examples

  • 。
    Péng you zhī jiān yīng dāng yǐ chéng xiāng dài.
    Friends should treat each other with sincerity.
  • 相待，。
    Tā dài rén yí xiàng yǐ lǐ xiāng dài, hěn yǒu jiào yǎng.
    He always treats people with courtesy—very well-mannered.
  • 相待，。
    Zhǔ rén rè qíng xiāng dài, wǒ men fēi cháng gǎn dòng.
    The host treated us warmly, and we were very touched.

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xiāngdirected at another
待dàitreat

相待 means to treat someone, often formally; 相 can point 待 toward another party, not necessarily mutual.

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
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 →

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