你来我往

你來我往
nǐlái-wǒwǎng
idiom #30,901

Meanings

  1. 1 back and forth
  2. 2 to-and-fro exchange
  3. 3 frequent mutual visits or interactions

Examples

Liǎng gèrén nǐláiwǒwǎng, tán le yīgè xiǎoshí.
The two of them went back and forth, talking for an hour.
Bǐsài zhōng shuāngfāng nǐláiwǒwǎng, bǐfēn jiāo zhuó.
Both sides traded blows back and forth in the match, with a tight score.
Línjū zhījiān nǐláiwǒwǎng, guānxi hěn hǎo.
The neighbors visit back and forth often and get along well.

Tips

usage
你来我往 paints a picture of two parties trading actions — visits, arguments, attacks, gifts, sales pitches. The structure is 'you come, I go', a four-character chiasmus. Works for both friendly social exchange (regular visits) and competitive contexts (debates, sports, fights).
memory
Just read the four characters straight: 'you come', 'I go'. The mutual motion gives the meaning.

Stroke Order

lái
wǎng