周旋
zhoū xuán · HSK 7
to contend
🔄🤝 周 (around) + 旋 (revolve) = revolving around people: socializing, dealing, contending
周 means around/circuit and 旋 means to revolve or circle. Together they mean moving in circles around others, which extends from mingling and socializing to maneuvering and contending with someone.
周 — enclosure 囗 + 吉 (earth 土 + mouth 口)
Originally a pictograph of a field with grain plotted in rows, suggesting density and completeness. It came to mean 'all around,' 'circumference,' and 'complete,' later extending to 'week' (a full cycle). Also a major surname, famously the Zhou dynasty.