洽 (qià) — harmonious; in harmony; to consult; to negotiate

Definition

洽 (qià) is a bound morpheme (always attached to another character) meaning 'harmonious' or 'to negotiate/arrange'. It appears in set words like 融洽 (harmonious), 洽谈 (to negotiate), 接洽 (to contact/arrange with).

bound form
harmoniousin harmonyto consultto negotiate
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Tā men zhèng zài jìn xíng mào yì qià tán.
    They are currently conducting trade negotiations.
  • 。
    Zhè liǎng gè tuán duì de guān xì fēi cháng róng qià.
    The relationship between these two teams is very harmonious.
  • 。
    Qǐng yǔ duì fāng gōng sī jiē qià jù tǐ shì yí.
    Please contact the other company to arrange the specific matters.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
合
合hé洽qià
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洽 pairs a water form on the left with 合 on the right, which gives its sound.

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