xiāng相mutuallyjìng敬respectrú如likebīn宾guest
Treat each other like honoured guests — mutual respect in marriage.
Literal meaning
mutually (相) — respect (敬) — like (如) — guest (宾)
Origin
A traditional Confucian phrase about marital respect. The model is the Han-era couple Liang Hong (梁鸿) and Meng Guang (孟光), who treated each other with the formal courtesy reserved for guests — never letting familiarity erode politeness.
Examples
Fū夫qī妻yīng应gāi该xiāng相jìng敬rú如bīn宾。
Spouses should treat each other with mutual respect.
Tā他men们jié结hūn婚èr二shí十nián年，yī依rán然xiāng相jìng敬rú如bīn宾。
They've been married twenty years and still treat each other with formal respect.
Usage & nuances
Slightly traditional / formal. Common in older marriage advice; younger couples sometimes invoke it with mild irony.
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