Definitions
(adverb)
each other; mutually
(noun)
appearance; portrait; picture
(noun)
government minister
(verb)
to examine; to appraise
About
The character "相" is structurally composed of the components "木" (wood) and "目" (eye), reflecting its early association with the act of examining wood or trees through sight. Its original verbal sense of "to look at" or "to inspect" naturally gave rise to a nominal meaning denoting the appearance or aspect observed. Over time, the character's usage expanded to convey reciprocal interaction, as in "相互" (mutual), and it developed further abstract applications, such as indicating a governmental overseer or minister, derived from the concept of scrutiny and supervision. In modern Chinese, it functions in compounds spanning from visual perception, like "相貌" (appearance), to relational concepts, like "相信" (to believe), maintaining its core etymological link to observation while accumulating these diverse semantic layers.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我们互相理解。
她相信我的朋友。
这两个答案是相同的。
我们的方向相反。
他们的性格相似。
他们相处了很长时间。
相对而言，我更喜欢这个。
这些事件相继发生，引起了广泛关注。