The Chinese word 同僚 (tóngliáo), meaning "colleague" or "fellow official," is a compound word formed by combining two meaningful characters: 同 (tóng), which means "same," "together," or "shared," and 僚 (liáo), which historically refers to an "official" or "person in government service." The term therefore literally translates to "same official" or "shared office," conceptually describing individuals who work together within the same bureaucratic or professional hierarchy, emphasizing their parallel status and shared working environment.