礼尚往来 in English li3 shang4 wang3 lai2 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) proper behavior is based on reciprocity (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically to return politeness for politeness

Simplified Characters

礼 尚 往 来

Traditional Characters

禮 尚 往 來

Pinyin

li3 shang4 wang3 lai2

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

礼li3surname Li 尚shang4surname Shang 往wang3to go (in a direction) 来lai2to come