佐々木：この間は、授業を代わっていただいて、どうもあり
がとうございました。
木村：いいえ、僕の方こそ試験の採点を手伝っていただいて
本当に助かりました。お互いに、持ちつ持たれつですね。
Mochitsu motaretsu
(Sensei-dooshi no kaiwa)
Sasaki: Kono aida wa, jugyoo wo kawatte itadaite, doomo arigatoo gozaimashita.
Kimura: lie, boku no hoo koso shiken no saiten wo tetsudatte itadaite hontoo ni tasukarimashita. O-tagai ni, mochitsu motaretsu desu ne.
(A conversation between two teachers)
Sasaki: Thank you for taking my class for me the other day.
Kimura: That's OK. I should be the one thanking you for helping me mark my exams. It's good that we can help each other out.
The expression mochi-tsu motaretsu describes a situation in which two or more people help each other, where they reciprocate the help or support that they receive.
I like this expression because it illustrates how Japanese see their relationships with each other. Beneath the expression lies the idea of looking at things from other peoples' point of view.
Although somewhat similar in meaning, the English expressions "50-50" and "give and take" seem more dispassionate in comparison, in that they draw a clearer-cut distinction between the part one contributes oneself and the share one expects in return.
There are often occasions teaching at a university when I feel that watashi-tachi no shakai wa, mochitsu motaretsu de ugoite iru. (Our community is sustained by the mutual support we give each other.)
Let me tell you about my husband's parents.
My father-in-law, who is 88, is in a hospital at the moment. My mother-in-law,who is 77, gets up every morning, goes to the hospital, spends all day looking after him, and returns home in the evening.
It's such a hard routine for her that I'm afraid sooner or later she's going to get ill. But she says, Watashi ga byooki no toki wa, o-jiisan ga isshoo-kenmei kanbyoo shite kureta. Fuufu wa mochitsu motaretsu yo.(When I was sick, grandpa went out of his way to take care of me. A husband and wife should help each other.)
If people always worked according to this principle, I'm sure we could build a perfect society.