关系
guānxì · HSK 3
relation
🔗 关 = close/gate + 系 = tie/connect → ties that bind people
关 originally depicted a barred gate (closing/connecting), and 系 shows threads tied together. Together they mean the ties or connections between people — relationships, and by extension the social credentials those ties grant.
关 — door 门 + simplified 关 inside
关 is the simplified form of 關. The traditional character showed a gate (門) with a bolt or crossbar inside, depicting a barred door — hence 'to close' or 'shut'. Meaning later extended to 'pass' (a guarded gate), 'barrier', and figuratively 'concern' or 'connection'.
系 — silk radical 糸 with a stroke on top
Originally a pictograph of a hand holding silk threads, showing connection or lineage. The character depicts threads being tied together, which gave rise to meanings like 'system,' 'lineage,' and 'to connect.' It later became used for organized sequences or relationships.