同

tóng

same, similar; together with; to unify

Meaning

Identity and Similarity: Ranges from absolute identity ("the same") to similarity ("of the same kind"). In early texts, the distinction between "identical" and "similar" is often fluid.
Association: Indicates joint action or accompaniment ("together," "along with," "jointly"), implying shared participation rather than mere proximity.
Alignment (Verb): The act of bringing into agreement, conforming to a standard, unifying disparate elements, or making things concordant.

Prepositional: In the pattern 同 [Noun] [Verb], it typically functions as "together with [Noun], [Verb]."
Modifier: When preceding a noun (e.g., 同心), it implies unity of purpose, synchronization, or shared attribute.
Predicate: When appearing at the end of a phrase, it asserts equivalence or identity between two subjects.

同 vs. 共: While both can translate as "together," they differ in nuance. 共 typically denotes the sharing of a resource, burden, or common existence (co-ownership), whereas 同 typically denotes symmetry, agreement, or following the same path/standard.

Variants: U+4EDD, U+540C, and U+8855 are orthographic variants with no significant impact on meaning for translation purposes.
Reading: Tang-period reading *dhung (Fanqie: 徒紅).

Categorical vs. Individual Identity: Avoid over-translating 同 as "identical." It often describes a shared category (rank, school of thought, kinship) rather than an identical individual. Distinguish whether the sameness is qualitative (of the same type) or quantitative (the very same one).
Dynamic Usage: Note that 同 can function as an action of unification (verbal sense) rather than simply a state of being.

Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.