同舟共济
tóng​zhōu​gòng​jì HSK7

collaborate

同 tóng, tong, tòng together

Depicts a large object (凡) like a shoulder carriage that requires the cooperation of multiple people working together to carry.

Components

凡
凡 Iconic component
fán all

Depicts a large object like a shoulder carriage.

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth

Alludes to people speaking together to communicate.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 14 verified)

洞铜筒桐酮恫侗峒胴硐茼衕垌銅

Iconic (2)

兴興

Simplified (1)

兴

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartduwnglˤoŋ together, join

說文解字

《說文》：“同，合會也。从，从口。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.614
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

舟 zhōu boat

Pictograph of a boat.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Qin 221-206 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (5 of 34 verified)

船航舰艇艘舱舶舵舷俞舫艄舸舻舢艉艏舨舾艚艟舯舳艨舴舭艋舡舲艦舣艎艙艅

Iconic (2)

受朕

Sound (1)

受

Simplified (1)

盘

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsyuwtu boat

說文解字

《說文》：“舟，船也。古者共鼓、貨狄刳木為舟，剡木為楫，以濟不通。象形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.682-683漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

共 gòng together with

Pictograph of two hands holding up a vessel.

Components

◎
◎ Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts a vessel being held up.

廾
廾 Iconic component
gǒng two hands

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (4 of 15 verified)

供洪恭巷哄拱龚烘衖珙蕻龔輂栱鬨

Iconic (1)

暴

Meaning (1)

巽

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartgjowngHN-k(r)oŋʔ-s together, all

說文解字

《說文》：“共，同也。从廿、廾。，古文共。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫裘錫圭 "Chinese Writing" p.189
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

济 jì help, aid, cross a river Simplified

Original meaning: [name of river]

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 齐 represents the sound. Simplified form of 濟.

Components

氵
氵 Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

氵 is a component form of 水.

齐
齐 Sound component
qí even

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode

濟 jì help, aid, cross a river Traditional

Original meaning: [name of river]

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 齊 represents the sound.

Components

氵
氵 Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

氵 is a component form of 水.

齊
齊 Sound component
qí even, uniform

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsejX[ts]ˤ[i]jʔ numerous
tsejX[ts]ˤəjʔ stately
tsejX[ts]ˤəjʔ [river name]
tsejH[ts]ˤ[i]j(ʔ)-s cross a stream; rescue
tsejH[ts]ˤ[i]j(ʔ)-s stop

說文解字

《說文》：“濟，水。出常山房子贊皇山，東入泜。从水，齊聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)