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共处 (gòng chǔ) — to coexist

Definition

共处 means 'to coexist' — to exist together in the same place or time, often peacefully. It is more formal and broader than 和平 ('peace'), and typically takes 与/和 + noun as its object.

verb
to coexist

Examples

  • 。
    Bù tóng wén huà kě yǐ hé píng gòng chǔ.
    Different cultures can coexist peacefully.
  • 共处。
    Rén lèi bì xū xué huì yǔ zì rán hé xié gòng chǔ.
    Humans must learn to coexist harmoniously with nature.
  • ，共处。
    Zài zhè ge shè qū lǐ, gè zhǒng zōng jiào xìn yǎng de rén dōu néng yǒu hǎo gòng chǔ.
    In this community, people of various religious beliefs can coexist amicably.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

共gòngtogether
处chùto live or get along

共处 combines 共 meaning together with 处 meaning to live or get along, giving the sense of coexisting.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 廾廾gǒngtwo hands
  • 口口kǒuan object

共 shows 廾, two hands, holding up an object. That object was written 口 and later became the 廿-like top.

Open 共 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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