联合
liánhé · HSK 3
unite
🤝 联 = connect/link + 合 = join/combine → unite
联 carries the sense of linking or joining in a chain; 合 means to close together or merge. Together they form the idea of allying or uniting parties. Common in 联合国 (United Nations) and 联合会 (federation, association).
合 — 乛 (lid/roof) + 口 (mouth)
Originally a pictograph of a lidded vessel — a cover (亼) closing over an opening (口) — giving the core sense of 'come together, join, fit.' From 'fit/match' it extended to 'combine, unite, agree' and to measure-word uses. The reading hé reflects this 'joining' meaning.