‘团聚’ (tuán jù) literally combines ‘团’ (tuán), meaning ‘together, round, united’, and ‘聚’ (jù), meaning ‘to gather or assemble’. Together, they form a verb meaning ‘to reunite’ or ‘to gather together’, especially after separation — most commonly used for family members or close friends coming back together after time apart. It carries warm, emotional connotations of joy, relief, and belonging.

This word is frequently used during holidays like Spring Festival, when people travel home to reunite with relatives. It emphasizes emotional closeness and shared identity, not just physical proximity. While it can describe gatherings of any size, it’s rarely used for casual or impersonal meetings — it implies significance, affection, and often some prior separation. You’ll hear it in news reports about refugees reuniting with families, in novels describing nostalgic homecomings, or in everyday speech expressing hope for future reunions.