合同
hé tong · HSK 4
(business) contract
📄🤝 合 = together/join + 同 = same — a 'joined-same' agreement both sides sign
合 means to join or combine; 同 means same or alike. A 合同 is the document where two parties join on the same terms — a contract. Compare 合作 (cooperate) and 同意 (agree), which reuse the same building blocks.
合 — 乛 (lid/roof) + 口 (mouth)
Originally a pictograph of a lidded vessel — a cover (亼) closing over an opening (口) — giving the core sense of 'come together, join, fit.' From 'fit/match' it extended to 'combine, unite, agree' and to measure-word uses. The reading hé reflects this 'joining' meaning.
同 — 冂 enclosure + 一 + 口 mouth
Originally depicted multiple mouths gathered under one cover or enclosure, suggesting people speaking together in agreement. From this image of voices joining, it came to mean 'same,' 'together,' or 'alike.' The shared cover symbolizes unity.
hé tong · HSK 4
contract
📄🤝 合 (combine) + 同 (same) = parties agreeing as one = contract
合 means to join/combine and 同 means same or together. A 合同 is a written agreement where parties come together on the same terms. Compare 合作 (cooperate) and 同意 (agree) — both share these building blocks.
合 — 乛 (lid/roof) + 口 (mouth)
Originally a pictograph of a lidded vessel — a cover (亼) closing over an opening (口) — giving the core sense of 'come together, join, fit.' From 'fit/match' it extended to 'combine, unite, agree' and to measure-word uses. The reading hé reflects this 'joining' meaning.
同 — 冂 enclosure + 一 + 口 mouth
Originally depicted multiple mouths gathered under one cover or enclosure, suggesting people speaking together in agreement. From this image of voices joining, it came to mean 'same,' 'together,' or 'alike.' The shared cover symbolizes unity.