The compound word 相亲 (xiāngqīn) is formed through the combination of two distinct characters: 相 (xiāng), meaning "mutually" or "each other", and 亲 (qīn), meaning "relatives", "close", or "intimacy". Together, they create a term that literally translates to "mutually viewing relatives", a historical reference to the traditional matchmaking practice where prospective spouses and their families would meet to assess compatibility. In modern usage, it has evolved to broadly mean "a blind date" or "matchmaking meeting", where two people meet with the possibility of marriage in mind, thus preserving the core idea of a mutual evaluation for the purpose of establishing a familial bond.