通用
tōng yòng · HSK 5
to use anywhere, anytime (card, ticket etc); to be used by everyone (language, textbook etc)
🔌 通用 = through + use; flows through any use
通 means through/pass-through and 用 means use, so 通用 literally reads as through-use — something that passes through every use case. Think universal adapters: one plug that works across devices.
通 — 辵 (辶) walk + 甬 yǒng (phonetic)
通 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 辶 (chuò) component means 'walk' or 'movement', giving the meaning of going through or passing. 甬 (yǒng), originally depicting a hanging bell or a path, supplies the sound. Together they convey 'to pass through, communicate, connect'.
用 — pictograph of a bucket or wooden pail
用 originally depicted a bucket or container, possibly a sacrificial vessel made of wood. Over time it was borrowed to mean 'to use' or 'employ,' losing its concrete object sense. The modern meaning 'use' has been standard since early classical Chinese.