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共度 (gòng dù) — to spend (an occasion, festival, etc.) together

Definition

共度 means to share or spend a stretch of time together — usually a holiday, festival, or memorable occasion, framed as a shared experience. Almost always takes a time/occasion object (共度时光, 共度佳节).

verb
to spend (an occasion, festival, etc.) together

Examples

  • 共度。
    Wǒ men quán jiā yì qǐ gòng dù chūn jié.
    Our whole family spends the Spring Festival together.
  • 共度。
    Lǎo péng you nán dé gòng dù měi hǎo shí guāng.
    Old friends rarely get to spend wonderful times together.
  • 共度。
    Tā men gòng dù le nán wàng de yì tiān.
    They spent an unforgettable day together.

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
度dùspend

共 means together and 度 means spend, so the word describes spending an occasion together.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
又又yòuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
石
石shí度dù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

度 has 又 (hand) and a changed form of 石; 石 gives a related sound, and the hand is tied to using the hand as a reference for measurement.

Open 度 →
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