分工
fēngōng · HSK 6
divide the work
👥 分 = divide + 工 = work → divide the work
分 means split or divide; 工 means work or labor. Together they literally name the act of splitting up a job among people — each person handles a piece.
分 — knife 刀 + eight 八 (split apart)
分 originally depicted a knife (刀) cutting something into two parts, shown by 八 above (which itself meant 'divide'). The core sense is 'to divide' or 'split', from which extended meanings like 'portion', 'minute', and 'part' developed. Pronounced fèn, it carries the sense of an allotted share.