Switch-Around Words

Front 1

形成 xíngchéng & 成形 chéngxíng

Back 1

Both mean “to form” or “forming”, however the latter is more technical and specifically refers to “forming” in chemistry, manufacturing, etc.

Front 2

会议 huìyì (“meeting”)

Back 2

议会 yìhuì (“parliament”)

Front 3

牛奶 niúnǎi (“cow’s milk”)

Back 3

奶牛 nǎiniú (“dairy cow” or “woman with big breasts”)

Front 4

罪犯 zuìfàn (“criminal”)

Back 4

犯罪 fànzuì (“to commit a crime”)

Front 5

生产 shēngchǎn (“to produce” or “to give birth to”)

Back 5

产生 chǎnshēng (“to bring about”)

Front 6

皮包 píbāo (“leather handbag or briefcase”)

Back 6

包皮 bāopí (“foreskin”)

Front 7

整齐 zhěngqí (“tidy” or “regular”)

Back 7

齐整 qízhěng (“tidy and orderly”)

Front 8

为人 wéirén (“conduct”)

Back 8

人为 rénwéi (“man-made”)

Front 9

蜜蜂 mìfēng (“bee”)

Back 9

蜂蜜 fēngmì (“honey”)

Front 10

合适 héshì (“suitable”)

Back 10

适合 shìhé (“to be suitable”)

Front 11

现实 xiànshí (“reality”)

Back 11

实现 shíxiàn (“to realise; to achieve”)

Front 12

语言 yǔyán & 言语 yányǔ

Back 12

Both mean language, but the former is more common whilst the latter is more technical

Front 13

女儿 nǚ’ér (“daughter”)

Back 13

儿女 ér-nǚ (“sons and daughters; children”)

Front 14

子女 zǐnǚ (“sons and daughters; children”)

Back 14

女子 nǚzǐ (“woman” or “female”)

Front 15

达到 dádào (“to achieve; to reach” [e.g. a goal])

Back 15

到达 dàodá (“to reach; to arrive” [e.g. a place])

Front 16

彩色 cǎisè (“colour”)

Back 16

色彩 sècǎi (“colour” or “character; quality”)

Front 17

来往 láiwǎng & 往来 wǎnglái

Back 17

Both mean “dealings; contact; interactions” or “to come and go” but are used in different contexts [?]

Front 18

感情 gǎnqíng & 情感 qínggǎn

Back 18

Both mean “emotion” or “feeling”, but the former usually refers to a status, whilst the latter is usually implies one’s emotional reaction to someone or something, however there is a lot of overlap.

Front 19

年青 niánqīng (“young”)

Back 19

青年 qīngnián (“young people”)

Front 20

和平 hépíng (“peace” or “peaceful”)

Back 20

平和 pínghé (“gentle; calm”)

Front 21

统一 tǒngyī & 一统 yītǒng

Back 21

Both can mean “unify”, “unified” or “unity” (usually in the sense of nation states) but 一统 yītǒng is more commonly used as a verb only

Front 22

明天 míngtiān (“tomorrow”)

Back 22

天明 tiānmíng (“daybreak, dawn, early morning”)

Front 23

自私 zìsī (“selfish”)

Back 23

私自 sīzì (“secretly”)

Front 24

照护 zhàohù (“look after”)

Back 24

护照 hùzhào (“passport”)

Front 25

人工 réngōng (“artificial”)

Back 25

工人 gōngrén (“worker”)

Front 26

国王 guówáng (“king”)

Back 26

王国 wángguó (“kingdom”)

Front 27

嫉妒 jídù & 妒嫉 dùjí

Back 27

Both mean “jealous” and “to be jealous”

Front 28

面对 miànduì

Back 28

对面 duìmiàn (“opposite” or “right in front”)

Front 29

互相 hùxiāng & 相互 xiānghù

Back 29

Same meaning – “mutual” – interchangeable – former more common

Front 30

去死 qùsǐ (“go to hell!”)

Back 30

死去 sǐqù (“to pass away”)

Front 31

风口 fēngkǒu (“drafty/droughty [pieno di spifferi] place”)

Back 31

口风 kǒufēng (“meaning behind words spoken, what sb really means to say”)

Front 32

大胆 dàdǎn & 胆大 dǎndà

Back 32

Both mean “bold” or “courageous” but perhaps the former has a slightly more negative connotation

Front 33

痛苦 tòngkǔ (“painful” or “pain”)

Back 33

苦痛 kǔtòng (“pain”)

Front 34

后背 hòubèi (“back” [of someone])

Back 34

背后 bèihòu (“behind” [of someone or something])

Front 35

水汽 shuǐqì (“vapour”, usually expressed as 水蒸气 shuǐzhēngqì)

Back 35

汽水 qìshuǐ (“soft drink”)

Front 36

出生 chūshēng (“to be born”)

Back 36

生出 shēngchū (“to give birth to” usually shortened to 生 shēng)

Front 37

为难 wéinán (“to make it difficult for someone”)

Back 37

难为 nánwéi (“embarrassed” or “to find something difficult”)

Front 38

眩目 xuànmù (“dazzling, abbagliante, splendido”)

Back 38

目眩 mùxuàn (“dizzy, avere le vertigini, essere stordito”)

Front 39

论理 lùnlǐ (“to reason with logic”)

Back 39

理论 lǐlùn (“theory”)

Front 40

动机 dòngjī (“intentions”)

Back 40

机动 jīdòng (“motorised”)

Front 41

性感 xìnggǎn (“sexy”)

Back 41

感性 gǎnxìng (“perception, sensibility” or “emotionally-driven”)

Front 42

出售 chūshòu (“to offer for sale”)

Back 42

售出 shòuchū (“to sell [successfully]“)

Front 43

处长 chùzhǎng (“head of department”)

Back 43

长处 chángchu (“forte; a person’s good/strong point(s)”)

Front 44

牙刷 yáshuā (“toothbrush”)

Back 44

刷牙 shuāyá (“to brush one’s teeth”)

Front 45

来历 láilì (“background, antecedents”)

Back 45

历来 lìlái (“always; through the ages” [formal])

Front 46

手动 shǒudòng (“manual”)

Back 46

动手 dòngshǒu (“to start”, “to touch” [in 动手动脚 dòngshǒu dòngjiǎo, "to be all over someone") or "to start a fight")

Front 47

好说 hǎoshuō ("OK")

Back 47

说好 shuōhǎo ("to settle something [by talking it through]“)

Front 48

喊叫 hǎnjiào & 叫喊 jiàohǎn

Back 48

Both mean “to shout”; the latter is more common

Front 49

演讲 yǎnjiǎng & 讲演 jiǎngyǎn

Back 49

Both mean “speech” or “lecture” - as a verb and as a noun – however the former is much more common in modern usage

Front 50

会意 huìyì (“to understand/comprehend”)

Back 50

意会 yìhuì (“to sense”, commonly used in the phrase 只能意会不能言传 zhǐ néng yìhuì bùnéng yánchuán, “able to sense it, but not explain it”)

Front 51

部队 army, troops

Back 51

队部 office, headquarters

Front 52

宗教 [religion]

Back 52

教宗 [pope]

Front 53

人情 human relations, interactions

Back 53

情人 lover, sweethearth

Front 54

计算 to calculate/count

Back 54

算计 to plan/plot