交往
jiāowǎng · HSK 3
associate
🤝 交 (exchange) + 往 (go toward) = go toward each other to exchange
交 means exchange or hand over; 往 means to go toward. Together: people going toward each other to exchange words and time — that's associating or keeping in contact.
交 — top 亠 + 父-like crossed legs
Originally a pictograph of a person standing with legs crossed, showing the idea of crossing or intersecting. From this concrete image, the meaning extended to abstract senses like 'exchange,' 'interact,' and 'hand over.' Modern uses such as 交流 (exchange) and 交通 (traffic) all trace back to this core notion of crossing.
往 — 彳 (step radical) + 主 (phonetic)
往 originally depicted a foot moving toward a place, with the 彳 radical signaling motion or walking. The right component 主 served mainly as a phonetic clue. Over time the meaning settled into 'to go (toward)' and, by extension, 'past' or 'previously'.