同人
tóng rén · HSK 7
colleagues
👥 同人 = same (同) + person (人) → people of the same kind, i.e. colleagues
同 means same and 人 means person, so 同人 literally reads as same-people: those who share the same workplace or circle, hence colleagues and fellowship. The same 同 shows up in 同学 classmate and 同事 coworker.
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.
人 — pictograph of a standing person
人 is a pictograph showing a person viewed from the side, with two strokes representing the legs and torso of a standing human. In oracle bone script it clearly depicted a figure leaning slightly forward. The meaning has remained 'person' or 'human' throughout its history.