交涉
jiāo shè · HSK 7
to negotiate
🤝 交 = exchange + 涉 = wade through/involve = to negotiate
交 means exchange or interact; 涉 means to wade through water, extended to getting involved in something. Together they describe two sides exchanging and wading into an issue: negotiation, or matters that relate to each other.
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.