禮尚往來
See also: 礼尚往来
Chinese
| gift; propriety; rite | still; yet; to value still; yet; to value; to esteem |
to go back and forth; to come and go; to have dealings with; to have contact with; to communicate; to exchange | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (禮尚往來) | 禮 | 尚 | 往來 | |
| simp. (礼尚往来) | 礼 | 尚 | 往来 | |
| alternative forms | 禮上往來／礼上往来 | |||
Etymology
From the Book of Rites, Book 1 (《禮記·曲禮上》):
- 太上貴德，其次務施報。禮尚往來。往而不來，非禮也；來而不往，亦非禮也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Book of Rites, c. 4th – 2nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Tàishàng guì dé, qícì wù shī bào. Lǐ shàng wǎnglái. Wǎng ér bù lái, fēilǐ yě; lái ér bù wǎng, yì fēilǐ yě. [Pinyin]
- In the highest antiquity they prized (simply conferring) good; in the time next to this, giving and repaying was the thing attended to. And what the rules of propriety value is that reciprocity. If I give a gift and nothing comes in return, that is contrary to propriety; if the thing comes to me, and I give nothing in return, that also is contrary to propriety.
太上贵德，其次务施报。礼尚往来。往而不来，非礼也；来而不往，亦非礼也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation
Idiom
禮尚往來
- to reciprocate the courtesy shown to you by another; to treat others as you would like to be treated
- to reciprocate a gift; to give a gift in return
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.