noun HSK 2 #861

Meanings

  1. 1 group; team
  2. 2 to form; to organize

Examples

Wǒmen fēnchéng liǎng zǔ.
We divided into two groups.
Qǐng dàjiā zǔchéng xiǎozǔ tǎolùn.
Please form small groups for discussion.

Components

radical
silk; thread (left radical form)
Left silk radical (simplified Kangxi #120 ). Originally meant a braided silk cord — strands twisted together — which generalised to any 'group, set, organise' meaning. The thread imagery still lives in (combine into a unit) and 组合 (assemble). Same radical groups , , , .
phonetic
qiě
moreover; furthermore
Right phonetic (qiě) — supplies the sound, shifting to zǔ. Same phonetic family as (zū rent), (zǔ obstruct), (zǔ ancestor), (zǔ curse) — once you spot on the right of an unknown character, expect a zū/zǔ reading.

Stroke Order