相敬如宾 — “Mutually respect like guests”
相敬如宾 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a couple who treat each other with mutual respect and politeness, as if they were honored guests”. Literally, “mutually respect like guests”.
相敬如宾 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 相xiāng
- 敬jìng
- 如rú
- 宾bīn
相敬如宾 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 相敬如宾
Origin and Story of 相敬如宾
During the Spring and Autumn period, there was a man named Deng Que who was weeding in his field. His wife brought his lunch to the edge of the field.
With utmost respect, she presented the meal to her husband with both hands. The husband solemnly received it, offered a respectful blessing, and then began to eat.
While he ate, his wife respectfully stood by his side, waiting for him to finish. After he was done, she collected the utensils and respectfully departed.
This scene was witnessed by a high-ranking official from the State of Jin at the time. This story is recorded in the 'Zuo Zhuan' (Commentary of Zuo).
Idioms Related to 相敬如宾
Synonyms of 相敬如宾
Antonyms of 相敬如宾
More idioms starting with 相
- xiāng相yǔ与yī一kǒu口collude and speak with one accord
- xiāng相yǔ与wéi为yī一merge into one
- xiāng相yǔ与wèi为mìng命depend on each other for survival
- xiāng相wèi为biǎo表lǐ里interdependent as exterior and interior
- xiāng相xí习chéng成sú俗mutual practice forms custom
- xiāng相xí习chéng成fēng风habits form a custom
- xiāng相hù互zūn尊zhòng重show mutual respect
- xiāng相jiāo交yǒu有nián年long-standing friendship
- xiāng相qīn亲xiāng相jìn近mutually affectionate and intimate
- xiāng相fǎng仿xiāng相xiào效imitate and emulate each other
- xiàng相tǐ体cái裁yī衣tailor to fit the situation
Questions about 相敬如宾
- What does 相敬如宾 mean?
- 相敬如宾 (xiāng jìng rú bīn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “describes a couple who treat each other with mutual respect and politeness, as if they were honored guests”.
- How do you pronounce 相敬如宾?
- 相敬如宾 is pronounced xiāng jìng rú bīn in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 相敬如宾 literally mean?
- Literally, 相敬如宾 means “mutually respect like guests”. It is used to mean “describes a couple who treat each other with mutual respect and politeness, as if they were honored guests”.
- Where does 相敬如宾 come from?
- 相敬如宾 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 相敬如宾?
- 形容夫妻互相尊敬，象对待宾客一样。