合

合 depicts the concept of two things coming together and fitting as one.

Considered an ideogrammic compound 合 formed from:

亼 (삼합 집) – an ancient form representing “three coming together” or a reversed “mouth” shape;

口 (구, “mouth”).

Together, they suggest “two mouths coming together,” expressing the idea of “matching,” “joining,” or “fitting.”

Some scholars alternatively interpret:

亼 as a lid;

口 as a bowl or vessel.

Thus, the character depicts “a lid fitting on a container,” symbolizing things that match or fit together perfectly.

集合 (집합) — to assemble; set (math)

結合 (결합) — to combine; bond

合同 (합동) — joint; cooperative

符合 (부합) — to correspond; to match

和合 (화합) — harmony; peaceful unity

合一 (합일) — unity; integration

Semantic relatives (union & harmony):

和 — harmony, peace

同 — sameness, together

併 — to merge side by side

聚 — to gather (many into one)

Structural opposites:

分 — to divide

散 — to disperse

離 — to separate

Extended derivatives:

會 — to meet; gathering

含 — to contain

盒 — box; container

合 is the philosophy of unity. It expresses:

- physical gathering

- social cooperation

- logical coherence

- cosmic harmony

Across Confucianism, Daoism, medicine, and Buddhism, 合 represents the condition under which things function properly.

"What does not combine, fails. What combines correctly, endures."

It also has the meaning of a measurement unit, read as “홉” in Korean (≈180 ml), though in digital input it usually converts only to 합.

Classical citations:

《論語 · 顏淵》 (Analects 12.1)

「克己復禮為仁，一日克己復禮，天下歸仁焉。」

While 合 does not appear explicitly, later commentators gloss 歸 (“to return”) as 合於仁 — to align with benevolence.

Here, 合 becomes the moral act of harmonizing oneself with ritual and virtue.

《道德經 · 第四十二章》 (Tao Te Ching)

「萬物負陰而抱陽，沖氣以為和。」

"All things carry yin and embrace yang, and achieve harmony through the interaction of these two forces."

Later Daoist exegesis explains 和 (harmony) as:

「陰陽之合也。」

“Harmony is the union of yin and yang.”

Thus, 合 is the cosmic principle by which opposites generate balance.

《杜甫 · 春望》 (Du Fu's "Spring View")

「國破山河在，城春草木深。」

"The country is broken, but the mountains and rivers remain; spring has come to the city, but the grass and trees grow deep."

Later poetic theory uses 情景合一 (the unity of emotion and scenery) to explain the aesthetic ideal—again relying on 合 as a core literary principle.

《黃帝內經》 (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic)

「形與神合，而氣乃全。」

“When body and spirit are united, vital energy is complete.”

Here, 合 denotes functional integration, not mere physical closeness.

In Buddhist texts, 合 often contrasts with 散 (“to disperse”):

和合 — harmonious union

因緣和合 — causes and conditions coming together

This expresses the doctrine that phenomena arise only through combination, not independently.