睦邻友好 (mù lín yǒu hǎo) — good-neighborly and friendly (relations); amicable and cooperative (between nations)

Definition

A formal set phrase used almost exclusively for relationships between countries, describing peaceful and cooperative diplomacy with neighboring states.

idiom
good-neighborly and friendly (relations)amicable and cooperative (between nations)

Examples

  • 睦邻友好。
    Liǎng guó yì zhí bǎo chí zhe mù lín yǒu hǎo de guān xì.
    The two countries have always maintained friendly and neighborly relations.
  • 睦邻友好。
    mù lín yǒu hǎo Shì yà tài dì qū hé píng de zhòng yào jī chǔ.
    Good-neighborly friendship is an important foundation for peace in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • 睦邻友好。
    Shuāng fāng qiān shǔ le mù lín yǒu hǎo hé zuò tiáo yuē.
    The two sides signed a treaty of friendly cooperation and good-neighborliness.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

睦邻neighborly
睦mùmake harmonious邻línneighbor
动宾Verb + object
友好friendly
友yǒufriend好hǎogood
联合Side by side

Neighborly and friendly; 睦 means make harmonious, 邻 neighbor, 友 friend, 好 good.

Characters in this word

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
目目mùeyes
Sound part声符shēngfú
坴
坴lù睦mù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

睦 combines 目, eyes, with 坴, which gives the sound.

Open 睦 →

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 鄰; 邻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as邑yì
Sound part声符shēngfú
粦
粦lín鄰lín
Same sound today

The traditional form 鄰 pairs 粦 (lín) as the sound part with 阝 (the full form 邑, a settlement) as the meaning part; 邻 is a simplified shorthand.

Open 邻 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

友 is drawn as two 又, the hand form, side by side. The old explanation says two hands together mean friendship.

Open 友 →

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

好 joins 女 (woman) and 子 (child), understood as a woman with a child, linked to goodness or affection.

Open 好 →

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