聚

• Pinyin: jù
• Hanzi breakdown: 聚 = 取 (to take/gather) + 众 (crowd of people) — people coming together

Meaning

To gather; to assemble; to get together. Describes people or things coming together in one place.

Used both for physical gathering (people coming together) and metaphorical concentration (energy, attention). Commonly appears in compounds: 聚会 (gathering), 聚焦 (focus), 聚集 (assemble), 聚餐 (group meal). The opposite is 散 (to disperse).

Examples

1. 老同学们聚在一起，聊了很多往事。 Old classmates got together and talked about many memories from the past.
2. 广场上聚集了很多人，大家都很兴奋。 A large crowd gathered in the square, and everyone was very excited.
3. 我们每年都会聚一次，互相分享近况。 We get together once a year and share updates about each other's lives.

Usage Guide

Context: social, everyday, events

Tone: warm

Do Say

• 大家聚一聚，热闹热闹。(Let's all get together and have some fun.)
• 他们聚在餐厅里庆祝节日。(They gathered at the restaurant to celebrate the holiday.)

Don't Say

• 水聚了 (While 聚 can describe gathering of substances in formal/literary contexts, for everyday water collecting use 积水 or 积聚; simply saying 水聚了 sounds unnatural)

Origin & History

The character 聚 contains 取 (to take/gather) and 众 (a crowd of people), visually depicting multiple people coming together to gather something.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal