兼容
jiān róng · HSK 7
compatible
🧩 兼 = both/simultaneously + 容 = contain/hold; holding both at once = compatible
兼 means doing or holding two things at the same time, and 容 means to contain or tolerate. A system that can contain both old and new at once is 兼容: compatible. Sounds like jyen-rong.
兼 — hand 又 holding two grain stalks 秝
兼 is an ideograph showing a hand (又) grasping two stalks of grain (秝) at once. The original meaning was 'to hold two things together,' which extended to 'combine,' 'simultaneously,' and 'both.' This sense of doubling up survives in modern compounds like 兼职 (hold a concurrent job).