凑 (còu) — to gather together, to pool (money, resources); to move close to, to approach; to happen by chance, to coincide
Definition
凑 (còu) is a versatile verb covering both 'pooling resources' (凑钱) and 'happening by chance' (凑巧). Compared to 聚 ('gather people'), 凑 is more casual and can be impersonal; 巧合 is the adjective form for the 'chance' sense.
verb
to gather togetherto pool (money, resources)to move close toto approachto happen by chanceto coincide
Easily confused
Examples
- 凑。Dà jiā còu zài yì qǐ tǎo lùn wèn tí.Everyone gathered together to discuss the problem.
- 凑。Tā còu dào qián miàn qù kàn qīng chǔ.He moved closer to the front to see clearly.
- 。Wǒ men còu qiǎo zài jī chǎng yù jiàn le.We happened to meet at the airport.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 湊; 凑 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 湊 uses 氵 (water) as the meaning element and 奏 as the sound element. The simplified 凑 is a later shorthand.
Appears in
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