合 (hé): to close; to shut

Meanings

1 to close; to shut
2 to join; to combine; to merge
3 to fit; to suit; to agree with
4 to be equal to; to add up to
5 whole; entire; together
6 round (of a contest or battle)

Characters

合

hé

to close; to combine; to suit; together

A lid (top three strokes) closing onto a vessel-mouth (口) - the visual moment of two halves meeting in perfect fit.

Examples

HSK 2

这件衣服很合身。

Zhè jiàn yīfu hěn héshēn.

This garment fits well.

HSK 3

请把书合上。

Qǐng bǎ shū hé shang.

Please close the book.

HSK 3

我们一定要合作。

Wǒmen yídìng yào hézuò.

We absolutely must cooperate.

Tips

usage

Core image: two halves meeting and fitting. Spawns a huge family - 合作 (cooperate), 合适 (suitable), 合同 (contract), 合理 (reasonable), 合法 (legal). The thread is always 'coming together / matching.'

mistakes

Two readings exist. 合 is the normal one (close / join / fit). The rare 合 is an old volume unit (one-tenth of a 升), encountered only in classical texts and historical measures. Default to hé unless the context is dry-grain measurement.

Components

radical

口 kǒu

mouth; vessel rim

Bottom 口 - also the indexing radical. Here it pictures the rim of a vessel, not a literal mouth: the round opening that the lid above settles onto. The closing of cover + container gives 合 its meanings of fit, suit, agree, total. Same radical as 同 (same) and 名 (name), where 口 is structural rather than vocal.

semantic

亼 jí

to gather; inverted lid

Top three strokes - an inverted V with an inner stroke, picturing a lid or roof closing down. Read in isolation as 亼 'to gather, assemble.' Here it depicts the cover that settles squarely onto the rim below; the moment those two pieces meet gives the character its meanings of fit, match, join.