征集
zhēng jí · HSK 7
to collect
📋 征 (levy/summon) + 集 (gather) = call people in and gather them up
征 carries the sense of summoning or levying (as in conscription), and 集 means to gather or assemble. Together they mean to collect or recruit, as in calling for submissions or enlisting people.
征 — 彳 (step) + 正 (upright/correct)
Originally written 征, this character combines 彳 'step/walk' with 正 'upright,' suggesting a righteous march or expedition. It first meant a military campaign or journey to subdue, then broadened to 'to go on a long trip' and figuratively 'to levy' (as in collecting taxes during campaigns).
集 — bird 隹 on top of tree 木
集 is an ideograph showing a bird (隹) perched on a tree (木). The original form depicted three birds gathering on a tree, later simplified to one. From 'birds flocking together' it extended to mean 'gather, collect, assemble,' and by extension 'collection' or 'volume' of writings.