惺惺相惜
xīng xīng xiāng xī
kindred spirits value one another; talents respect talents
Character by character
惺xīng
clever
clever
惺xīng
clever
clever
相xiāng
each other
each other
惜xī
cherish
cherish
Example
两位选手在赛场上是对手，在场下却惺惺相惜。
On court the two players are rivals, but off it they hold each other in high regard.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
惺惺 here means clever, perceptive people; the idiom shortens the old saying 惺惺惜惺惺, found in Ming and Qing fiction (水浒传 ch. 19, 红楼梦 ch. 87). Often said of rivals or equals who admire each other. Do not confuse it with 假惺惺, “hypocritical”.
Learn this in Lesson 247 · HSK 9+: 利玛窦与徐光启 (Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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