同 (tóng)

Preposition

As a preposition, 同 introduces the target of an action or comparison, often a person. It is usually used in written Chinese. Therefore, it’s also interchangeable with “跟,” which is more often used in spoken Chinese.

“同” is often with noun phrase or pronoun to function as an adverbial modifier.

Subject + 同 + Noun phrase / Pronoun + Verb phrase

The noun phrase or pronoun following “同” is often the object of the action or the object of coordination.

e.g.

产品组同技术组合作，终于按时完成了产品设计。(Chǎnpǐn zǔ tóng jìshù zǔ hézuò, zhōngyú ànshí wánchéngle chǎnpǐn shèjì.) The product team collaborated with the technical team and finally completed the product design on time.

家长已经同学校沟通过了，孩子继续学习汉语是最好的选择。(Jiāzhǎng yǐjīng tóng xuéxiào gōutōng guò le, háizi jìxù xuéxí Hànyǔ shì zuì hǎo de xuǎnzé.) Parents have already communicated with the school; it is the best choice for the child to continue learning Chinese.

昨天我们已经同朋友们告别了，今天直接从机场出发。(Zuótiān wǒmen yǐjīng tóng péngyou men gàobié le, jīntiān zhíjiē cóng jīchǎng chūfā.) Yesterday, we said goodbye to our friends; today, we will depart directly from the airport.

即使再忙，每个周日我也会同家人共进晚餐。(Jíshǐ zài máng, měi gè zhōurì wǒ yě huì tóng jiārén gòng jìn wǎncān.) No matter how busy I am, I have dinner with my family every Sunday.

我同整件事无关，什么都别问我。(Wǒ tóng zhěng jiàn shì wúguān, shénme dōu bié wèn wǒ.) I have nothing to do with the whole matter, don’t ask me anything.

(Subject +) 同 + Noun phrase / Pronoun + 相比/一样，(Subject +) + Verb phrase / Adjective phrase

When indicating comparison, “同……相比/一样” is often used, and the part in between is the object of comparison. The subject can be omitted.

e.g.

同你们相比，我真的太懒了。(Tóng nǐmen xiāngbǐ, wǒ zhēn de tài lǎn le.) Compared to you, I am really too lazy.

同李教授相比，大家的知识量都很小。(Tóng Lǐ jiàoshòu xiāngbǐ, dàjiā de zhīshi liàng dōu hěn xiǎo.) Compared to Professor Li, everyone’s knowledge is very limited.

你同我一样，每天都要喝两杯咖啡。(Nǐ tóng wǒ yíyàng, měi tiān dōu yào hē liǎng bēi kāfēi.) You are like me; you drink two cups of coffee every day.

汉语同其他语言一样，想学好就必须多练习。(Hànyǔ tóng qítā yǔyán yíyàng, xiǎng xuéhǎo jiù bìxū duō liànxí.) Chinese, like other languages, requires a lot of practice to learn well.

Conjunction

As a conjunction, it indicates a coordinating relationship, equivalent to “和” “跟”
or “与” in meaning. It’s used with nouns or pronouns to function as the subject of a sentence.

Noun 1 / Pronoun 1 + 同 + Noun 2 / Pronoun 2 + Verb phrase

e.g.

我同他每天早上一起游泳。(Wǒ tóng tā měi tiān zǎoshang yìqǐ yóuyǒng.) I swim with him every morning.

妹妹同她已经认识十年了。(Mèimei tóng tā yǐjīng rènshi shí nián le.) My younger sister has known her for ten years.

校长同老师们下午去别的学校开会，所以不上课了。(Xiàozhǎng tóng lǎoshī men xiàwǔ qù bié de xuéxiào kāihuì, suǒyǐ bú shàngkè le.) The principal and the teachers will go to another school for a meeting this afternoon, so there will be no classes.

咖啡同蛋糕都准备好了，请各位享用下午茶。(Kāfēi tóng dàngāo dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le, qǐng gèwèi xiǎngyòng xiàwǔchá.) The coffee and cake are ready; please enjoy the afternoon tea.

Verb

When indicating “the same”, the positive sentence often follows a noun as the object.

e.g.

你属龙？我们同岁！(Nǐ shǔ lóng? Wǒmen tóng suì!) You were born in the year of the Dragon? We are the same age!

这两种花看起来不一样，其实它们是同类。(Zhè liǎng zhǒng huā kàn qǐlái bù yíyàng, qíshí tāmen shì tóng lèi.) These two kinds of flowers look different, but they are actually the same species.

同一个时期的古董价格也会不同。(Tóng yí gè shíqī de gǔdǒng jiàgé yě huì bù tóng.) Antiques from the same period can have different prices.

他们兄弟性格不同，哥哥活泼外向，弟弟谨慎内向。(Tāmen xiōngdì xìnggé bù tóng, gēge huópō wàixiàng, dìdi jǐnshèn nèixiàng.) The brothers have different personalities. The older brother is lively and outgoing, while the younger brother is cautious and introverted.

When indicating it’s the same as the referred object, it must be followed by a noun object.

e.g.

这道题的解法同上。(Zhè dào tí de jiěfǎ tóng shàng.) The solution to this problem is the same as the previous one.

这个字的意思同前。(Zhège zì de yìsi tóng qián.) The meaning of this character is the same as the previous one.

“上面”的意思同“上边”。(“Shàngmiàn” de yìsi tóng “shàngbiān”.) The meaning of “shàngmiàn” is the same as “shàngbiān”.

“同” can also mean “together” or “coordinated,” and is often used in written language.

e.g.

这次川藏游，我们决定五人同行。(Zhè cì Chuān-Zàng yóu, wǒmen juédìng wǔ rén tóngxíng.) For this Sichuan-Tibet trip, we decided to travel together as a group of five.

夫妻就应该同甘苦，共患难。(Fūqī jiù yīnggāi tóng gānkǔ, gòng huànnàn.) Husbands and wives should share both joys and hardships together.

这次我们同来，就是为了方便大家一起商量下个季度的计划。(Zhè cì wǒmen tóng lái, jiùshì wèile fāngbiàn dàjiā yìqǐ shāngliang xià gè jìdù de jìhuà.) This time we came together to make it easier for everyone to discuss the plan for the next quarter.