Hiddenfromview
23/10/2020 - 18/11/2020
The etymological origin for the Chinese word “fo2 bun6” (伙伴), or “partner”, traces back to the ancient military system. While “fo2” ( 火 ) refers to a unit of ten militants, it also doubles to mean “fire”. Indeed, the military was organised by the fire – the leader of a unit, “fo2 zoeng2” ( 火長 , literally meaning “ chief of the fire”), was in charge of cooking all meals which the team would share together. Therefore, those within one “fo2” were called “fo2 bun6” ( 火伴 ), or “partners of fire". This word was later adapted to generally mean "partners" ( 同伴 ) and was developed to be written as "伙伴” (fo2 bun6). Now, it refers to people who collaborate as part of the same organisation or activity, sharing the same practices and experiences.