协 (xié) — (bound form) to coordinate, to assist, to cooperate (used in compounds)

Definition

协 (xié) is a bound morpheme that never stands alone; it appears in compounds to convey joint or cooperative action (协助, 协调, 协商). The first character of each compound carries the main verb sense.

bound form
to coordinateto assistto cooperate (used in compounds)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù xū yào gè bù mén mì qiè xié zhù.
    This project requires close assistance from all departments.
  • 。
    Shuāng fāng zhèng zài xié tiáo jiě jué zhè cì máo dùn.
    The two sides are coordinating to resolve this conflict.
  • ，。
    Jīng guò duō cì xié shāng, tā men zhōng yú dá chéng le xié yì.
    After many rounds of consultation, they finally reached an agreement.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 協; 协 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 協 uses 劦, meaning 'to collaborate', plus 十 for sound; the simplified 协 is a later shorthand.

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