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沟通 (gōu tōng) — to communicate; to have communication (of ideas, information, feelings)

Definition

沟通 (gōutōng) means 'to communicate' — exchange views or information between people, often to solve a problem or align. 交流 is broader and two-way; 通信 implies communicating across distance.

verb
to communicateto have communication (of ideas, information, feelings)

Examples

  • 沟通，。
    Fù mǔ hé lǎo shī xū yào duō gōu tōng, duì hái zi de chéng zhǎng hěn yǒu bāng zhù.
    Parents and teachers communicating more is very helpful for children's growth.
  • 沟通，。
    Liǎng gè bù mén zhī jiān quē fá gōu tōng, dǎo zhì xiàng mù yán wù le.
    The lack of communication between the two departments caused the project to be delayed.
  • 沟通。
    Tā yòng jiǎn dān zhí jiē de fāng shì hé kè hù gōu tōng.
    He communicates with clients in a simple and direct way.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

沟gōuconnect
通tōngconnect

沟 and 通 both suggest making a passage open, so together they mean to connect or exchange ideas.

Characters in this word

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 溝; 沟 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
冓
冓gòu溝gōu
Same sound today

The traditional form 溝 pairs 氵 (water) with 冓 for the sound; the simplified 沟 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical part.

Open 沟 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
甬
甬yǒng通tōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

通 pairs 辶, a part associated with movement, with 甬, which gives the sound.

Open 通 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Communication & Speech5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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