会

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 会 (huì) is composed of two parts: 人 (rén) and 圭 (guī). 人 represents a person, while 圭 is a jade tablet used in ancient China as a symbol of authority or power. Together, they form the character 会, which originally meant "to meet" or "to assemble". Over time, the meaning of 会 has expanded to include "to gather", "to associate", "to join", "to unite", "to be able to", "to know how to", and "to understand".The character 会 is also used in the sense of "society" or "association", as in the phrase 社会 (shèhuì), which means "society". In this sense, 会 refers to a group of people who come together for a common purpose or activity.The character 会 is also used in the sense of "opportunity" or "chance", as in the phrase 机会 (jīhuì), which means "opportunity". In this sense, 会 refers to a favorable situation or circumstance that allows someone to achieve something.The character 会 is a versatile character with a rich history and a wide range of meanings. It is an important character to learn for HSK learners, as it is used in many common words and phrases.