聚集

• Pinyin: jù jí
• Hanzi breakdown: 聚 = 取 + 众 (gather/assemble); 集 = 隹 + 木 (birds on a tree → collect)

Meaning

To gather; to congregate; to concentrate. Describes people, objects, or phenomena coming together into a mass or concentration.

Applicable to people assembling, resources accumulating, or forces converging. Slightly more formal and literary than 集合, and conveys a sense of gradual or organic coming together rather than a commanded assembly.

Examples

1. 广场上聚集了数千名市民，他们自发地为受灾地区的民众举行烛光悼念活动。 Thousands of residents gathered in the square and spontaneously held a candlelight vigil for people in the disaster-stricken areas.
2. 每当夕阳西下，大批摄影爱好者便会聚集在湖边争相捕捉湖光山色的绝美倒影。 Whenever the sun sets, large numbers of photography enthusiasts gather by the lake to capture the stunning reflections of the landscape.
3. 这座城市因其良好的营商环境聚集了大量高新技术企业和创业型人才。 Thanks to its strong business environment, this city has attracted a large concentration of high-tech companies and entrepreneurial talent.

Usage Guide

Context: social events, urban development, nature

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 国庆节期间，天安门广场附近聚集了来自全国各地的大批游客和参观者。(During the National Day holiday, large numbers of tourists and visitors from across the country gathered near Tiananmen Square.)
• 暴风雨前乌云开始迅速在天边聚集，整个天空瞬间变得昏暗压抑。(Before the storm, dark clouds began to gather rapidly on the horizon and the entire sky instantly turned overcast and oppressive.)

Don't Say

• 请大家聚集一下 — in a directed command context, use 集合 (for commanded assembly) rather than 聚集, which implies organic gathering

Origin & History

聚 (gather/assemble) + 集 (collect/gather)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal