总部
zǒngbù · HSK 6
headquarters
🏢 zǒng (overall) + bù (department) = the overall department, i.e. headquarters
Think of it as the one department that sits above all others — the general hub where everything is coordinated. Zǒng means total or overall, bù means section or department.
总 — top 丷 + 口 + 心 (heart radical)
总 is the simplified form of 總. The traditional form combined 糸 (silk threads) with 悤 as phonetic, originally meaning to gather or tie threads together. From 'bundling threads' the meaning extended to 'gather all,' 'general,' 'overall,' and 'always.'
部 — 阝(邑) right + 咅 phonetic
The right-side 阝 derives from 邑 (city/settlement), giving the meaning of a region, district, or administrative division. The left side 咅 supplies the sound. Originally referring to a settlement, the meaning broadened to 'part,' 'section,' or 'ministry.'