hé: 和 - And, With, Harmony, Peace

• Keywords: he pinyin, 和 meaning, chinese character for and, chinese character for with, chinese character for harmony, peace in chinese, how to use he in chinese, 和 vs 跟, 和平, 和谐.
• Summary: Discover the multifaceted meaning of 和 (hé), one of the most fundamental characters in the Chinese language. While beginners learn 和 (hé) as the simple word for “and” or “with,” it also embodies the profound cultural concept of “harmony” and “peace,” which is central to Chinese philosophy and social interaction. This guide breaks down its simple grammatical uses and its deep cultural significance, helping you understand how to use 和 (hé) correctly in conversation and appreciate its importance in the Chinese worldview.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): hé
• Part of Speech: Conjunction, Preposition, Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: A word that means “and,” “with,” or “harmony.”
• In a Nutshell: 和 (hé) is one of the first characters you'll learn, functioning like “and” to connect nouns (e.g., “you and I”). It also works like “with” (e.g., “I'll go with you”). Beyond this simple grammar, 和 (hé) represents the deeply valued cultural ideal of harmony—a state of balance, peace, and agreement that influences everything from family relationships to national policy. It's a simple word with profound cultural weight.

• 和 (hé) is a phono-semantic compound character, meaning one part gives the sound and the other gives the meaning.
• 禾 (hé): The left part is the character for “grain” or “millet.” It primarily provides the phonetic sound for the character.
• 口 (kǒu): The right part is the character for “mouth.” It provides the semantic meaning, related to speaking, agreement, or eating.
• When combined, 禾 (grain) + 口 (mouth) creates a powerful image: when people have enough grain to feed their mouths, and can speak agreeably with one another, the result is 和 (hé)—harmony and peace.

The concept of 和 (hé) is a cornerstone of Chinese culture, far more significant than the English word “harmony” might suggest. It's a core value in Confucianism, Daoism, and Chinese Buddhism, shaping social norms and personal conduct. A key phrase is 和而不同 (hé ér bù tóng), which translates to “harmony in diversity.” This is a crucial distinction from the Western concept of “unity.”

• Western “Unity/Agreement”: Often implies that everyone should become the same or reach a single, unified consensus. Disagreement can be seen as a disruption to unity.
• Chinese “Harmony” (和): Implies that different elements can and should coexist peacefully to create a balanced and beautiful whole. Think of an orchestra: the violin and the cello play different notes, and it is this difference that creates a harmonious symphony. If they all played the same note, it would just be loud, not harmonious.

This value manifests in a preference for avoiding direct confrontation, seeking consensus, and prioritizing the well-being and face of the group over a single individual's desire to be “right.” It's about finding a middle way where relationships are preserved and social balance is maintained.

The use of 和 (hé) depends heavily on its grammatical function.

• As a Conjunction (“and”): This is the most common use for beginners. It's used to connect two nouns or noun phrases. Crucially, it cannot connect verbs or clauses.
  • Correct: 我喜欢米饭 和 面条。(Wǒ xǐhuān mǐfàn hé miàntiáo.) - I like rice and noodles.
  • Incorrect: 我吃饭 和 看电视。(Wǒ chīfàn hé kàn diànshì.) - This is wrong.
• As a Preposition (“with”): It indicates companionship or interaction. In this context, it is often interchangeable with 跟 (gēn), which is slightly more colloquial.
  • Example: 我和我的老师说话。(Wǒ hé wǒ de lǎoshī shuōhuà.) - I am speaking with my teacher.
• As a part of other words (Noun/Adjective): 和 (hé) is a building block for many important words related to its core meaning of harmony and peace.
  • 和平 (hépíng): peace (as in world peace)
  • 和气 (héqi): friendly, polite, amiable
  • 讲和 (jiǎnghé): to make peace, to settle a dispute

• Example 1:
  • 咖啡和茶，你喜欢哪个？
  • Pinyin: Kāfēi hé chá, nǐ xǐhuān nǎge?
  • English: Coffee and tea, which one do you like?
  • Analysis: A classic example of 和 connecting two nouns in a list. This is its most basic function.
• Example 2:
  • 我和我的家人住在一起。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ hé wǒ de jiārén zhù zài yīqǐ.
  • English: I live together with my family.
  • Analysis: Here, 和 functions as the preposition “with,” establishing a relationship between “I” and “my family.”
• Example 3:
  • 他的想法和我的不一样。
  • Pinyin: Tā de xiǎngfǎ hé wǒ de bù yīyàng.
  • English: His idea is not the same as mine.
  • Analysis: 和 is used here to create a comparison, meaning “as” or “with” in the structure “A 和 B 一样/不一样” (A is the same as/different from B).
• Example 4:
  • 我们都希望世界和平。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen dōu xīwàng shìjiè hépíng.
  • English: We all hope for world peace.
  • Analysis: 和 is part of the compound word 和平 (hépíng), which specifically means “peace” in the sense of an absence of war or conflict.
• Example 5:
  • 他们吵架了，但很快就讲和了。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen chǎojià le, dàn hěn kuài jiù jiǎnghé le.
  • English: They argued, but they made peace very quickly.
  • Analysis: The verb phrase 讲和 (jiǎnghé) literally means “to speak harmony,” and is used to mean “to reconcile” or “to make peace” after a dispute.
• Example 6:
  • 这场足球比赛的结果是和局。
  • Pinyin: Zhè chǎng zúqiú bǐsài de jiéguǒ shì héjú.
  • English: The result of this soccer match was a draw.
  • Analysis: 和 can mean a tie or draw in a competition. 和局 (héjú) means “a draw situation.”
• Example 7:
  • 经理对员工总是很和气。
  • Pinyin: Jīnglǐ duì yuángōng zǒngshì hěn héqi.
  • English: The manager is always very friendly and polite towards the employees.
  • Analysis: 和气 (héqi) is an adjective describing someone's gentle, amiable, and non-confrontational demeanor, a highly valued trait.
• Example 8:
  • 社会和谐是我们的共同目标。
  • Pinyin: Shèhuì héxié shì wǒmen de gòngtóng mùbiāo.
  • English: Social harmony is our common goal.
  • Analysis: 和谐 (héxié) is the key philosophical concept of harmony. This sentence is something you might hear in a formal or political context.
• Example 9:
  • 请你和他解释一下这个问题。
  • Pinyin: Qǐng nǐ hé tā jiěshì yīxià zhège wèntí.
  • English: Please explain this problem to him.
  • Analysis: When used with verbs like “explain” (解释) or “say” (说), 和 can mean “to” in English. It establishes the recipient of the action.
• Example 10:
  • 今天天气很暖和。
  • Pinyin: Jīntiān tiānqì hěn nuǎnhuo.
  • English: The weather is very warm today.
  • Analysis: This is a crucial example of a different pronunciation. In the word 暖和 (nuǎnhuo), the character 和 is pronounced in the neutral tone huo. This is a fixed word that beginners should memorize.

• Biggest Mistake: Connecting Verbs: English speakers constantly try to use 和 (hé) to connect verbs or clauses like the English “and.” This is incorrect in Chinese.
  • Incorrect: 我去超市和买了一些水果。(Wǒ qù chāoshì hé mǎi le yīxiē shuǐguǒ.)
  • Correct (sequence): 我去超市买了一些水果。(Wǒ qù chāoshì mǎi le yīxiē shuǐguǒ.) - Simply list the actions.
  • Correct (emphasis on sequence): 我去了超市，然后买了一些水果。(Wǒ qù le chāoshì, ránhòu mǎi le yīxiē shuǐguǒ.) - I went to the supermarket, and then bought some fruit.
• 和 (hé) vs. 跟 (gēn): When used as “and” (for nouns) or “with,” 和 (hé) and 跟 (gēn) are largely interchangeable. 跟 (gēn) is considered slightly more informal and common in northern China, while 和 (hé) is neutral or slightly more formal. For a beginner, you can use either in most conversational situations.
• Multiple Pronunciations: Be aware that 和 has other, less common pronunciations for specific words.
  • huó: As in 和面 (huó miàn), “to knead dough.”
  • hú: As in 和了 (hú le), “I won!” (in a game of Mahjong).
  • huò: As in 暖和 (nuǎnhuo), “warm.”
  • Don't worry about mastering these at first, but be aware they exist so you aren't confused when you hear them.

• 和平 (hépíng) - Peace; specifically the absence of war. It's a state, whereas 和 (hé) can be the abstract concept.
• 和谐 (héxié) - Harmony; the full, abstract, philosophical, and social concept of balance and concord.
• 和气 (héqi) - Amiable, polite, gentle; describes a person's temperament that aligns with the value of harmony.
• 跟 (gēn) - The most common synonym for 和 (hé) when used as “and” (for nouns) or “with”; slightly more colloquial.
• 与 (yǔ) - A formal, written character for “and” or “with.” You will see it in books and official documents, but rarely hear it in conversation.
• 以及 (yǐjí) - “As well as”; a more formal conjunction used to connect items in a list, often after several other items have already been listed with 和.
• 讲和 (jiǎnghé) - To make peace, reconcile; a verb phrase.
• 和而不同 (hé ér bù tóng) - “Harmony in diversity”; a key philosophical idiom explaining that harmony does not require sameness.
• 暖和 (nuǎnhuo) - Warm; a common adjective that uses a different pronunciation of 和.