(xiāng chǔ) - to get along with, to get on with one another in Mandarin
xiāngchǔTraditional: 相處
Translation
to get along with, to get on with one another
Word origin
From 相 (xiāng, mutually, each other) and 处 (chǔ, to be situated, to deal with), so to be placed alongside one another.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 相 (xiāng, mutually) + 处 (chǔ, to be situated, to get on)
Stroke order
相
处
Examples
。
They get on very well.
。
The new colleague is easy to get along with.
。
We have been getting along for over three years.
。
Getting on with him is not easy.
。
Brothers and sisters ought to get on well with each other.
相处 (xiāng chǔ) is how two people rub along together over time: colleagues, flatmates, in-laws, a couple. It is about the ongoing texture of a relationship rather than a single meeting.
The 相 makes it reciprocal, so it cannot take a direct object. You cannot say 我相处他. The pattern is 我和他相处 or 我跟他相处, with both parties named before the verb. To judge how it is going, hang a 得 complement off the end: 相处得很好, 相处得不错.
Two smaller traps. The second character is chǔ in the third tone here, not the chù of 到处 (dào chù, everywhere), so the pinyin box wants chu3. And 好相处 is not the same as 相处得好: the first describes a person as easy-going, the second describes how a particular relationship is actually going.
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相处: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "相处" (to get along with, to get on with one another): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 53.