相知 (xiāng zhī) — to be well acquainted with each other; to know each other intimately

Definition

相知 means two people know each other deeply — a close, intimate bond, not just acquaintance. Suggests mutual understanding and shared history, and often pairs with 知己 ('bosom friend').

verb
to be well acquainted with each otherto know each other intimately

Examples

  • 相知，。
    Tā men xiāng zhī duō nián, bǐ cǐ fēi cháng liǎo jiě.
    They have known each other for many years and understand each other very well.
  • 相知。
    Rén shēng nán dé yì xiāng zhī de zhī jǐ.
    In life, it's rare to find a close friend who truly knows you.
  • 相知，。
    Liǎng rén xiāng zhī hèn wǎn, yí jiàn rú gù.
    The two regretted not having met earlier; they hit it off immediately.

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
知zhīknow

相 means mutual and 知 means to know, so 相知 is to know each other intimately.

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.”

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

An early form of 知 showed 大 (adult), 口 (mouth), and 子 (child): an adult speaking to a child to pass on knowledge. The 子 part was dropped, and the 大 part changed shape.

Open 知 →

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