双向奔赴 shuāng xiàng bēn fù
Both sides moving — the modern standard for a good relationship.
The short answer
EverydayNow commonChecked November 2026
Shuangxiang benfu means “running toward each other from both directions”: a relationship where both sides put in the effort, not one person chasing.
In a chat
- 亮亮 Liangliang
听说你和她在一起了？
I heard you two are together now?
- 灯灯 Dengdeng
对，原来她也喜欢我很久了。
Yes. It turns out she'd liked me for a long time too.
- 亮亮 Liangliang
这就是双向奔赴啊！
That's two people running toward each other!
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How to reply
双向奔赴的感情最好了。
Feelings that go both ways are the best.
When not to use it
What it means
The phrase earned its place by naming a modern anxiety: one-sided effort. In a 双向奔赴 relationship — romantic or not — you never have to wonder whether you care more than the other person, because you can both be seen moving.
Its use widened outward: friendships, a band reuniting, a city that hosts its migrants well and gets loyalty back. Wherever reciprocity can be witnessed, the phrase fits.
How people use it
It works as a predicate: 好的感情是双向奔赴的, “a good bond is two people running toward each other”. It also works for moments: a fan flying across the country for a concert and the singer mentioning the fans' city is a 双向奔赴 moment.
The negation carries the sting: 一直是我在单向奔赴, “I've been the only one running” — a common way to describe a friendship that has quietly expired.
Where it comes from
奔赴 is a formal, almost cinematic verb — to hurry toward something that matters. Pairing it with 双向 gave internet romance a slogan, and by 2023 it was common in posts about couples, friends and fans.
That December, 咬文嚼字 put it second on its list of the year's ten top words.
In use
2 examples异地两年，他们终于双向奔赴，在同个城市安了家。
After two years long-distance they finally ran toward each other and settled in the same city.
友谊要双向奔赴，不能总是一个人主动。
Friendship has to be mutual — it can't always be one person reaching out.
The characters
Explore individuallyIndividual character meanings do not always explain the meaning of the whole word.
Sources
This guide is original Dengdeng editorial content, offered under CC BY-SA 4.0. The linked dictionary entries adapt CC-CEDICT under the same license.