投桃報李

Chinese

		to throw; to send	peach	to announce; to inform; report to announce; to inform; report; newspaper; to repay; to recompense; revenge	surname; plum
trad. (投桃報李)		投	桃	報	李
simp. (投桃报李)		投	桃	报	李
Literally: “toss a peach, get back a plum”.

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry, poem 256 (《詩經·大雅·抑》):

投我以桃，報之以李。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

投我以桃，报之以李。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Tóu wǒ yǐ táo, bào zhī yǐ lǐ. [Pinyin]

When one throws to me a peach, I return to him a plum.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): tóutáobàolǐ

(Zhuyin): ㄊㄡˊ ㄊㄠˊ ㄅㄠˋ ㄌㄧˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): tau⁴ tou⁴ bou³ lei⁵

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: tóutáobàolǐ
  - Zhuyin: ㄊㄡˊ ㄊㄠˊ ㄅㄠˋ ㄌㄧˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: tóutáobàolǐ
  - Wade–Giles: tʻou²-tʻao²-pao⁴-li³
  - Yale: tóu-táu-bàu-lǐ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tourtaurbawlii
  - Palladius: тоутаобаоли (toutaobaoli)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰoʊ̯³⁵ tʰɑʊ̯³⁵ pɑʊ̯⁵¹ li²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: tau⁴ tou⁴ bou³ lei⁵
  - Yale: tàuh tòuh bou léih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tau⁴ tou⁴ bou³ lei⁵
  - Guangdong Romanization: teo⁴ tou⁴ bou³ léi⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɐu̯²¹ tʰou̯²¹ pou̯³³ lei̯¹³/

Idiom

投桃報李

to return a favor; to exchange gifts; you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

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