同行
tóng háng , tóng xíng · HSK 6
to journey together
🤝 同 same + 行 profession OR walk: same trade (tóng háng), travel together (tóng xíng)
Two readings split the meaning neatly. Háng means trade or line of work, so tóng háng is a fellow professional. Xíng means to walk or travel, so tóng xíng is a travel companion.
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.
行 — crossroads pictograph (left 彳 + right 亍)
行 originally pictured a four-way crossroads in oracle bone script, with two paths meeting. From 'road' it extended to 'walk, go, travel,' and then to 'a row, line' or 'business firm' (read háng). The two halves 彳 and 亍 are the split sides of that ancient crossroads.