融

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

鬲 (솥 력) — semantic component meaning “cauldron, vessel,” associated with heating and melting.

虫 (벌레 충) — simplified form of 蟲, serving as the phonetic component (yóng).

The imagery combines heat (鬲) and organic transformation (虫) — together signifying melting and transformation within a vessel.

Some scholars interpret 融 also as a compound ideograph, representing the fusion of elements within a cauldron.

Thus, the underlying metaphor is “melting down to achieve unity.”

融化 (융화) — to melt, to dissolve

融合 (융합) — fusion, integration

金融 (금융) — finance, monetary affairs

調融 (조융) — to harmonize, to reconcile differences

融通 (융통) — circulation, adaptability

融洽 (융협) — harmonious, smooth relations

融雪 (융설) — melting of snow

融會 (융회) — to comprehend by blending ideas (융합적 이해)

In Confucian and Daoist thought, 融 symbolizes the melting of rigidity into unity — the process of achieving harmony (和) by blending opposites.

陰陽交融，化生萬物。

“When Yin and Yang merge in harmony, all things are born” — Huainanzi (淮南子).

Here, 融 denotes the cosmic fusion that sustains life and balance.

In Confucian ethics, 融和 expresses the ideal of gentle virtue (溫良) — a temperament that melts away hardness and binds people through empathy.

心融於理，則萬事通達。

“When the heart is in harmony with principle, all things flow smoothly.”

融 thus becomes the mark of inner composure and clarity — the heart melted free of obstinacy.

In later philosophical and modern usage, 融 extends to the fusion of cultures, knowledge, or nations.

It denotes integration without loss of identity, the ideal of coexistence and shared flow (融合而不雜 — “to merge without confusion”).