verb / adjective HSK 4
Traditional 相鄰
xiāng lín
to be adjacent · to be neighboring · adjacent · neighboring

Meaning

相邻 describes two things that are next to each other or share a common boundary. It can be used for physical spaces like countries, provinces, rooms, or houses, as well as abstract concepts like adjacent numbers or consecutive time periods.

Usage

Commonly used in both formal and informal contexts to describe geographical proximity or adjacency. Often appears in written Chinese describing territorial relationships, property boundaries, or mathematical concepts. Can function as both a verb (两国相邻 'the two countries border each other') and an adjective (相邻的房间 'adjacent rooms').

Examples

  1. 01
    中国与十四个国家相邻
    Zhōngguó shísì guójiā xiāng lín.
    China is adjacent to fourteen countries.
  2. 02
    我们住在相邻的两栋楼里。
    Wǒmen zhù zài xiāng lín de liǎng dòng lóu .
    We live in two neighboring buildings.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 相邻的国家
    xiāng lín de guó jiā
    neighboring countries
  • 相邻省份
    xiāng lín shěng fèn
    adjacent provinces
  • 与...相邻
    ... xiāng lín
    to be adjacent to...
  • 相邻区域
    xiāng lín
    adjacent areas

Antonyms

Origin

Combines 相 (mutual/reciprocal) with 邻 (neighbor), literally meaning 'mutually neighboring' or 'being neighbors to each other'.

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