跟

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 跟 (gēn) is composed of two parts: 虍 (gēn) and 斤 (jīn). The former is a pictograph of a foot, while the latter is a phonetic component. The original meaning of 跟 is "heel", which is the part of the foot that comes into contact with the ground when walking. By extension, 跟 can also mean "to follow" or "to accompany", as in the phrase 跟着我走 (gēn zhe wǒ zǒu, "follow me").In addition to its literal meaning, 跟 can also be used in a figurative sense. For example, it can be used to mean "to be related to" or "to be connected to", as in the phrase 有跟没有跟 (yǒu gēn méiyǒu gēn, "whether or not there is a connection"). It can also be used to mean "to be based on" or "to be in accordance with", as in the phrase 根据事实 (gēn jù shì shí, "based on the facts").The character 跟 is commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese. It is a versatile character with a variety of meanings, and it is an important part of the Chinese language.