The word 相比 is formed by combining two characters: 相, which conveys a sense of "mutually" or "each other", and 比, which means "to compare" or "to contrast". When joined, they create a compound whose meaning emerges from this conceptual pairing, visually and semantically suggesting the action of placing two or more things side-by-side to observe them in relation to one another, thus encapsulating the idea of a mutual or reciprocal comparison.