此消彼长

此消彼長
cǐxiāo-bǐzhǎng
idiom #50,803

Meanings

  1. 1 one declines as the other rises
  2. 2 an inverse / zero-sum relationship
  3. 3 what one side loses, the other gains

Examples

HSK 4
Gōngzuò hé jiātíng de shíjiān chángcháng cǐxiāo-bǐzhǎng.
Time spent on work and on family often comes at each other's expense.
HSK 7-9
Liǎng jiā gōngsī de shìchǎng fèn'é cǐxiāo-bǐzhǎng.
The two companies' market shares move in opposite directions - one's loss is the other's gain.

Tips

usage
Use 此消彼长 when two quantities trade off against each other. Compare 此起彼伏, where two things rise and fall in alternation but not necessarily in opposition.
memory
Read literally: this + shrinks + that + grows. A perfect see-saw.

Stroke Order

xiāo
cháng