礼尚往来 (lǐshàngwǎnglái) · courtesy demands reciprocity

礼尚往来 (lǐshàngwǎnglái) means “courtesy demands reciprocity”. It is written with 4 characters: 礼 (courtesy) + 尚 (still) + 往 (towards) + 来 (to come). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).

How 礼尚往来 is built

The characters

礼 lǐ · courtesy

What 礼 is made of

礻shì — spirit/altar
- 卜bo — divination
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
  - 丶 — dot
乚 — hook stroke

Origin hint: 礻 gives the meaning, 乚 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

尚 shàng · still

What 尚 is made of

⺌ — structural part
冂 — frame
- 丨 — vertical stroke
口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke

往 wǎng · towards

What 往 is made of

彳chì — to step with the left foot
- 丨 — vertical stroke
王wáng — king
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 土tǔ — earth
  - 十 — ten
  - 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: 彳 gives the meaning, 王 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

来 lái · to come

What 来 is made of

未wèi — not yet
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 木mù — tree
  - 十 — ten
  - 八bā — eight
丷ha — kwukyel
- 丶 — dot

Origin hint: A wheat plant that has not yet borne fruit; compare 來 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

他送了我礼物，礼尚往来，我也要送他。Tā sòng le wǒ lǐwù, lǐshàngwǎnglái, wǒ yě yào sòng tā.He gave me a gift, so in return I should give him one too.

朋友之间讲究礼尚往来。Péngyou zhījiān jiǎngjiū lǐshàngwǎnglái.Between friends, courtesy goes both ways.

Questions about 礼尚往来

What does 礼尚往来 mean?

礼尚往来 (lǐshàngwǎnglái) means “courtesy demands reciprocity”.

How do you pronounce 礼尚往来?

礼尚往来 is pronounced lǐshàngwǎnglái.

Which HSK level is 礼尚往来?

礼尚往来 is in Old HSK 6.

Related words

Learn 礼尚往来 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 114: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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