Definition
此消彼长 is a four-character idiom (成语) describing a situation where one side declines while the other grows — typical of trade-offs or zero-sum dynamics in economics, competition, or natural phenomena. You can use it as a verb phrase in constructions like 呈此消彼长之势 ('show a pattern of one rising while the other falls').
v
(verb phrase) one declines while the other flourishesa seesaw relationship
Examples
- ，此消彼长。Zài shìchǎng jìngzhēng zhōng, qǐyè de lìrùn wǎngwǎng chéng cǐ xiāo bǐ cháng zhī shì.In market competition, companies' profits often show a pattern of one rising while the other falls.
- 此消彼长，。Zhè liǎng gè guójiā de jūnshì shílì cǐ xiāo bǐ cháng, hěn nán pànduàn shéi gèng qiáng.The military power of these two countries fluctuates—one declines while the other grows—making it hard to judge which is stronger.
- ，此消彼长。Jīngjì zhōuqī zhōng, tōngzhàng yǔ shīyè lǜ chéng cǐ xiāo bǐ cháng guānxì.In the economic cycle, inflation and unemployment have a seesaw relationship.
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