合作 hezuo collaborate

合 is a picture of a mouth on top with a dot of food or a word, and a mouth below. it is the idea of close/to close//mutual. Once you understand the underlying pictograph or ideograph’s logic the characters are much easier to remember.合 thus can mean “and” “with” “co”. It, like so many Chinese words doesn’t correspond exactly to one single English word. 作 is a person on the left and on the right is cloth which is spread out as a display or for sale. this zuo means to make or to do. There is another zuo which ALSO means to make or do and in the same tone to boot. Polysemicity is unfortunately a big part of Chinese so get used to sound alikes. So: “to do”+”together”=collaborate.

我们的公司会跟你们合作 our business will work with you.

c.f. he tong, contract.