Writing Balance Rule: The left side (扌) is narrower and slightly raised, while the right side (共) is wider and bears the structural weight.
1. Meaning
to cup one's hands in salute
to surroundto archto dig earth with the snout
VerbNeutral#gestures#geometry#architecture
Sample Usage
他拱手向大家打招呼。
tā gǒng shǒu xiàng dàjiā dǎzhāohu.
He cupped his hands in salute to greet everyone.
这座桥是拱形的。
zhè zuò qiáo shì gǒngxíng de.
This bridge is arched in shape.
2. Sound
/[kʊŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
拱
gǒnggong3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=gǒng
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
gong
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "o" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
g
Type: Unaspirated Velar
Sounds like: g sound as in 'go'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air (sounds like 'c' in Vietnamese 'cá' or 'k' in English 'skate').
Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue touches the soft palate (velum).
Final Rhyme
ong
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ong rhymes with rung
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'h-' (h) with final '-ong' (oong).
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 starts mid-high, dips low to the bottom of your vocal range, and rises back up, exactly like asking a skeptical 'Really?' in English.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, gǒng changes to a 2nd tone (góng shǒu).
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the low dipping Tone 3 with Tone 4 when spoken quickly.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 3 dips down and rises back up, tracing a checkmark or a sweeping V-shape in the air with your hand.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left side (扌) is narrower and slightly raised, while the right side (共) is wider and bears the structural weight.
4. Components
Radical扌 · Hand Radical (hands, actions done with hands)
Semantic Clue (形旁):扌 (Indicates an action performed using the hands (cupping hands).)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):共 (original sound: gong)
The hand radical (扌) joins with the phonetic and semantic component for 'together' (共), representing two hands brought together in a respectful greeting or forming an arch.
扌 Hand action
共 Together / Phonetic clue
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
14· Phonetic Root: 共 (gòng)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the hand radical (扌) showing physical action and 共 (gòng) providing both the pronunciation and the underlying idea of things coming together or being held jointly.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to holding hands together in respect; expanded over time to describe physical structures that curve or arch outward like clasped hands.
Cupping hands (拱手) is the traditional Chinese alternative to shaking hands or bowing.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
củng
The rising tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds to the Mandarin rising/dipping contour.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: キョウ / Kun: こす, かく
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
공
Sound Shift Bridge: Shared root pronunciation 'gong' across East Asian borrowings.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You use your HAND (扌) to bring TOGETHER (共) a classic traditional greeting, cupping your hands respectfully in front of your chest.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
共
gòngcommon, together, to sharePhonetic Core (声旁)
哄
hònguproar+ 口 (mouth)
恭
gōngrespectful+ ⺗ (heart)
烘
hōngto bake, to heat by fire, to set off by contrast+ 火 (fire)