耦 (ǒu): to plow with two people working…

Meanings

1 to plow with two people working as a pair (classical)
2 to pair; to couple
3 a pair; a partner
4 ploughshare (archaic)

Characters

耦

ǒu

to pair; coupling

Examples

他俩并肩耦耕，颇有古风。

Tā liǎ bìngjiān ǒugēng, pō yǒu gǔfēng.

The two of them plowed side by side, just as the ancients did.

物理学中的耦合指两个系统之间的相互作用。

Wùlǐxué zhōng de ǒuhé zhǐ liǎng gè xìtǒng zhī jiān de xiānghù zuòyòng.

In physics, 'coupling' refers to the interaction between two systems.

松耦合使软件系统更易维护。

Sōng ǒuhé shǐ ruǎnjiàn xìtǒng gèng yì wéihù.

Loose coupling makes a software system easier to maintain.

Tips

usage

Two distinct registers. Classical: 耦耕 (two-person ploughing), famous from 《论语》 — 长沮桀溺耦而耕 (the recluses 'plowed in pairs'). Modern STEM: 耦合 (coupling) is the standard physics / engineering / software-architecture term — 强耦合 (tight coupling), 解耦 (decoupling). Same character, very different worlds.

mistakes

耦 and 偶 sound identical but split semantic duty: 耦 for technical 'coupling' and classical 'plough-pair'; 偶 for 'mate / spouse / coincidence' (配偶, 偶然). Don't write 偶合 when you mean the engineering term — that means 'fortuitous coincidence'.

Components

radical

耒 lěi

wooden plough handle

Left 耒 (Kangxi #127) — the plough-handle radical, depicting an angled wooden hoe. Anchors the agricultural sense of two-person plowing. Same radical drives 耕 (plough), 耘 (weed), 耙 (rake).

phonetic

禺 yú

phonetic element

Right 禺 — phonetic. The same component, also paired with 亻, gives 偶 (mate); both characters belong to the 禺 phonetic series (遇, 寓, 愚).