凑

• Pinyin: còu
• Hanzi breakdown: 凑 = 冫(ice) + 奏 (to play, gather)

Meaning

To gather together; to pool; to make do. A versatile verb meaning to bring things together or approach.

Multiple uses: pooling money (凑钱), making up a number (凑数), coming close (凑近), making do (凑合). Can also mean happening to coincide. Very common in casual speech.

Examples

1. 大家凑点钱给老师买个生日礼物吧。 Let's all chip in some money to buy a birthday present for the teacher.
2. 他凑到我耳边悄悄告诉我那个秘密。 He leaned close to my ear and whispered the secret to me.
3. 为了凑够首付，她省吃俭用了三年。 To save enough for the down payment, she lived frugally for three years.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, money, social

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 我们凑份子请他吃饭。(Let's chip in together to treat him to dinner.)
• 凑巧我也在那儿。(By coincidence, I was there too.)

Don't Say

• 我凑了一个完美的方案 (凑 implies gathering or making do, not creating perfection — use 制定 or 设计 instead)

Origin & History

Originally meant 'to come together' or 'to approach.' Extended to mean gathering things, making up amounts, or coinciding.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal