偕

xié

亻 + 皆

Definitions

xié in company with

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 皆 represents the sound.

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 皆

About

偕 is a phono-semantic compound: the semantic component 亻 (human) indicates a relation to people, while 皆 provides the pronunciation. The character means 'together,' 'in unison,' or 'to accompany.' It is most common in formal or literary expressions of mutual accompaniment, notably in the marriage idiom 白头偕老 (growing old together), which conveys the ideal of a couple sharing a harmonious life and unbroken companionship to the very end.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我们偕同去学校。

Wǒmen xiétóng qù xuéxiào.

We go to school together.

他偕妻子回家。

Tā xié qīzi huí jiā.

He goes home with his wife.

朋友们偕行参观博物馆。

Péngyoumen xiéxíng cānguān bówùguǎn.

Friends visit the museum together.

经理偕同客户讨论合同。

Jīnglǐ xiétóng kèhù tǎolùn hétong.

The manager discusses the contract with the client.

他们偕游山水，享受自然。

Tāmen xié yóu shānshuǐ, xiǎngshòu zìrán.

They travel through mountains and rivers together, enjoying nature.

在项目中，团队偕手合作。

Zài xiàngmù zhōng, tuánduì xié shǒu hézuò.

In the project, the team cooperates hand in hand.

政府偕同企业促进经济发展。

Zhèngfǔ xiétóng qǐyè cùjìn jīngjì fāzhǎn.

The government works with enterprises to promote economic development.

面对环境危机，全球国家必须偕同采取行动。

Miàn duì huánjìng wēijī, quánqiú guójiā bìxū xiétóng cǎiqǔ xíngdòng.

Facing the environmental crisis, global countries must take action together.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 皆

偕