Expressing "each other" with "bici"

彼此(bǐcǐ) is a personal pronoun. 彼(bǐ) means “那” (nà) or "that", and 此(cǐ) means “这” (zhè) or "this". Therefore, 彼此(bǐcǐ) can be translated to "that and this" or "you and me".

彼此，人称代词。彼(bǐ)是“那”，此(cǐ)是“这”，彼此(bǐcǐ)的意思是“那个和这个”或者“你和我”。

Basic Usage

Structure

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

作为人称代词，“彼此”常用作主语、宾语。做宾语时，动词必须是双音节且比较正式的。

彼此 + Verb

Verb + 彼此

Examples

• 我们 只 见 过 一 次 ，彼此 不是 很 了解 。Wǒmen zhǐ jiànguò yīcì, bǐcǐ bùshì 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 yīgè 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 play our best.
• 我们 是 一家人 ，必须 好好 照顾 彼此 。Wǒmen shì yījiā rén, bìxū hǎohǎo zhàogù bǐcǐ.We're family. We must look after each other very well.
• 好朋友 总是 会 陪伴 彼此 。Hǎo péngyǒu zǒng shì huì péibàn bǐcǐ.Best friends will always be there for 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?

Sometimes you can also use 彼此(bǐcǐ) as an attributive to make the meaning of the modified noun more abstract.

有时也可以用作定语，被修饰名词的意义通常都比较抽象。

彼此 + 的 + Noun

A few examples:

• 过去 一年 ，我们 见证 了彼此 的 进步 。Guòqù yī nián, wǒmen jiànzhèngle 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 jiànle, duì bǐcǐ de shēnghuó dōu bù liǎojiě, yě hěn jīngyà bǐcǐ de biànhuà.It's been ten years since we last met. We don't really know about each other's lives and we are very surprised about each other's changes.

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 all the same".

在口语中，“彼此“可以重叠为“彼此彼此”，是一种客套话，意思是“大家都一样，我们差不多”。

Sources and further reading

Books

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

HSK5