Meaning
邻居 refers to people who live near you, typically in adjacent houses or apartments. It's a common everyday word used to describe the relationship between people sharing a residential area or living in close proximity.
Usage
邻居 is used in both formal and informal contexts. It can refer to a single neighbor or neighbors collectively. Common in phrases like 邻居关系 (neighbor relations) and 老邻居 (old neighbors/long-time neighbors). Chinese culture traditionally values good neighbor relationships, reflected in sayings like 远亲不如近邻 (distant relatives are not as helpful as close neighbors).
Examples
- 01我的邻居很友好，经常帮我照顾孩子。, .My neighbors are very friendly and often help me take care of my children.
- 02昨天晚上邻居家太吵了，我一晚上没睡好。, .Last night my neighbor's place was too noisy, and I didn't sleep well all night.
Characters
Measure words
- 个一个邻居
- 位两位邻居
Common collocations
- 邻居家neighbor's house/home
- 老邻居old neighbor, long-time neighbor
- 邻居关系neighbor relations
- 和邻居相处to get along with neighbors
Origin
邻 combines 阝(mound/place) with 粦 (phonetic component), suggesting proximity. 居 originally depicted a person crouching/dwelling. Together they literally mean 'those dwelling nearby.'