In the Chinese language, there are some words composed of two characters (AB )and if the order of the characters is reversed (BA), the meaning of BA will be different but still related to that of AB.
BA≠AB but BA is related to AB
Examples:
人名 person’s name ⇄ 名人 famous person
故事 a story; a tale ⇄ 事故 a trouble; an accident
虫害 an insect pest; a plague of vermin ⇄ 害虫 pest
带领 lead ⇄ 领带 tie
海上 sea ⇄ 上海 Shanghai
文盲 illiterate ⇄ 盲文 Braille
痴情 blind passion; blind love ⇄ 情痴 love maniac
蛋鸡 laying hen ⇄ 鸡蛋 egg
肉猪 slaughter pig ⇄ 猪肉 pork
国外 overseas; abroad ⇄ 外国 foreign; alien; a foreign country
官宦 government official ⇄ 宦官 eunuch
云彩 cloud ⇄ 彩云 rosy clouds
报喜 announce good news ⇄ 喜报 good news
开放 open ⇄ 放开 let go
向导 guide ⇄ 导向 lead to
现实 reality ⇄ 实现 realize
气节 moral integrity ⇄ 节气 solar terms
计算 calculate ⇄ 算计 to scheme; to plot (against)
面相 physiognomy; face ⇄ 相面 practise physiognomy
愿意 be willing ⇄ 意愿 wish
上马 mount a horse; start; make a start on ⇄ 马上 immediately; right away
动乱 a turmoil; disorder; upheaval; unrest ⇄ 乱动 mess around with; bang about; fiddle with; meddle with
当家 to be in charge of household; to be in charge of day-to-day affairs; to manage the house; to rule the roost ⇄ 家当 family belongings; family property
质变 qualitative change ⇄ 变质 to go bad; to deteriorate; to spoil; to go off
调情 flirt ⇄ 情调 sentiment; a mood; taste; an emotional appeal
得了 [expressing approval or prohibition] be enough; [used in declarative sentences to indicate affirmation] ⇄ 了得 [used at the end of a sentence after 还 in an exclamation] terrible; extraordinary
油菜 rape; Chinese cabbage ⇄ 菜油 rapeseed oil or rape oil, also known as canola oil
人情 1.sensibilities; human sympathy; human kindness 2.favor; favoritism 3.a present ⇄ 情人 a lover; a sweetheart; a gentleman friend; one’s best girl
乡下 a village; the country; countryside; a rural area ⇄ 下乡 go down to the countryside
发挥 bring (skill, talent, etc.) into full play ⇄ 挥发 to evaporate; to vaporize
焰火 fireworks ⇄ 火焰 flame
少年 early youth; teenager ⇄ 年少 youngster
雪白 snow-white ⇄ 白雪 white snow
水井 well ⇄ 井水 well water
黄金 gold ⇄ 金黄 golden
毒蛇 venomous snake ⇄ 蛇毒 snake venom
画笔 paintbrush ⇄ 笔画 strokes
生产 produce; give birth to a baby ⇄ 产生 to produce; to bring; to result
名著 a famous work ⇄ 著名 famous; celebrated; eminent
楼顶 top of a building ⇄ 顶楼 attic, top floor
打死 beat to death ⇄ 死打 death beat
女儿 daughter/s ⇄ 儿女 sons and daughters
手枪 a pistol; a handgun ⇄ 枪手 gunman
红火 flourishing ⇄ 火红 flame-red; fiery; flaming; flamboyant; lurid
搞乱 confuse; muddle; mess up ⇄ 乱搞 promiscuous; mess with; fool around
结巴 stammer ⇄ 巴结 fawn on
下海 go to sea; go fishing out at sea; turn professional; leave one’s original profession and go into business ⇄ 海下 underwater; undersea
收回 recover, withdraw ⇄ 回收 recycle