1. Tianjin used to take a back seat to other cities, and was defined only by its relation to Beijing.
2. BEIJING - Tianjin used to take a back seat to other cities, and was defined only by its relation to Beijing.
noun
1. (law) the principle that an act done at a later time is deemed by law to have occurred at an earlier time
e.g. his attorney argued for the relation back of the amended complaint to the time the initial complaint was filed
Synonym: relation