Expressing "each other" with "bici"

彼此 (bǐcǐ) is a personal pronoun. 彼 (bǐ) is an archaic word meaning 那 (nà) or "that," and 此 (cǐ) means 这 (zhè) or "this." Therefore, 彼此 (bǐcǐ) literally means "that and this," and is used in modern times to mean "you and me".

Basic Usage as Subject or Object

Structure

As a personal pronoun, 彼此 (bǐcǐ) is often used as a subject. When used as an object, the verb must be disyllabic and is quite formal in tone.

彼此 + Predicate

Verb + 彼此

Examples

• 我们 只 见 过 一 次 ，彼此 不 是 很 了解 。Wǒmen zhǐ jiàn guo yī cì, bǐcǐ bù shì hěn liǎojiě.We've only met once. We don't know each other well.
• 我们 是 一个 团队 ，彼此 应该 多 沟通 。Wǒmen shì yī gè tuánduì, bǐcǐ yīnggāi duō gōutōng.We're a team. We should communicate more.
• 我 很 尊重 我 的 对手 ，我 希望 彼此 都 能 有 好 的 表现 。Wǒ hěn zūnzhòng wǒ de duìshǒu, wǒ xīwàng bǐcǐ dōu néng yǒu hǎo de biǎoxiàn.I respect my opponent very much. I hope we both can perform well.
• 我们 是 一家人 ，必须 好好 照顾 彼此 。Wǒmen shì yī jiā rén, bìxū hǎohāo zhàogù bǐcǐ.We're a family. We must do a good job looking after each other.
• 好 朋友 总是 会 陪伴 彼此 。Hǎo péngyou zǒng shì huì péibàn bǐcǐ.Good friends always spend time with each other.
• 你们 是 夫妻 ，怎么 一点 也 不 信任 彼此 ？Nǐmen shì fūqī, zěnme yīdiǎn yě bù xìnrèn bǐcǐ?You're husband and wife. How can you not trust each other at all?

Basic Usage as an Attributive

As a personal pronoun, 彼此 (bǐcǐ) is often used as an attributive, modifying a noun.

Structure

Sometimes you can also use 彼此 (bǐcǐ) before a noun to make the meaning of the modified noun more abstract.

彼此 + 的 + Noun

Examples

• 过去 一年 ，我们 见证 了 彼此 的 进步 。Guòqù yī nián, wǒmen jiànzhèng le bǐcǐ de jìnbù. Over the past year, we have witnessed each other's progress.
• 大家 都 很 辛苦 ，我们 需要 尊重 彼此 的 努力 。Dàjiā dōu hěn xīnkǔ, wǒmen xūyào zūnzhòng bǐcǐ de nǔlì. Everyone is facing hardships, we need to respect each other's efforts.
• 我们 十年 没 见 了 ，对 彼此 的 生活 都 不 了解 ，也 很 惊讶 彼此 的 变化 。Wǒmen shí nián méi jiàn le, duì bǐcǐ de shēnghuó dōu bù liǎojiě, yě hěn jīngyà bǐcǐ de biànhuà.It had been ten years since we last met. We didn't really know about each other's lives and we were surprised at how the other had changed.
• 我们 了解 了 彼此 的 需求 ，再也 不 吵架 了 。Wǒmen liǎojiě le bǐcǐ de xūqiú, zài yě bù chǎojià le.We came to understand each other's needs and didn't argue again.

Using 彼此 Idiomatically

When speaking colloquially, you can repeat 彼此 twice: “彼此彼此”. It's a type of idiom that can mean "Everyone is the same" or "We are both the same".

• A:你 的 家 真 不错。Nǐ de jiā zhēn bùcuò.What a nice home you have.
• B:彼此 彼此 ！Bǐcǐ bǐcǐ!Same, same!

Sources and further reading

Books

• HSK Standard Course 5上 (pp. 68) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

HSK5