紧凑
jǐn coù · HSK 7
compact
🧱 紧 tight + 凑 gather together = things packed tight with no gaps
紧 means taut or tight, and 凑 means to gather or piece together. Combined they describe something assembled so closely that nothing is wasted, hence compact or a terse, tightly packed schedule.
紧 — 臣 minister + 又 hand on top + 糸 silk below
Originally written 緊, this character combines 臤 (a hand 又 grasping firmly, with 臣 as phonetic) over 糸 'silk thread'. The image is of silk threads pulled taut by hand, giving the core meaning 'tight, taut'. From there it extended to 'urgent' and 'pressing'.
凑 — water 氵 + 奏 (zòu, present)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 氵 (water) gives the meaning, while 奏 supplies the sound. Originally referred to water gathering or flowing together, which extended to the modern senses of 'gather together,' 'come close,' and 'happen by chance.'