When it comes to "co-working", perhaps everyone's first reaction is the legendary figure in ancient mythology who angrily collided with the mountain.
However, when we dig deeper into the word "co-work", we will find that there are many interesting stories and knowledge hidden in it.
First, let's correct a common misconception. Many people habitually pronounce "gonggong" as "gòng gōng", which is actually a misunderstanding.
In ancient Chinese, the character "共" had a variety of pronunciations, including gōng, gǒng, and gòng. But in the word "共工", "共" should be pronounced as gōng.
Why is it pronounced gōng? There is actually a deep cultural connotation behind this.
In Old Chinese dictionaries such as Guangyun and Jiyun, "gong" is marked as gōng in the phrase "gonggong", not only because it is pronounced as a surname, but also because the character here means "respectful."
At the same time, when "共" is used as a surname, it is often written as "Gong", which further confirms that the "Gong" in "Gonggong" should be pronounced as gōng.
So, what is the story behind the name "Gonggong"?
In ancient Chinese mythology, Gonggong was a very famous deity. He was invincible because of the struggle for the position of the Emperor of Heaven with Zhuan, and he was angry and hit Buzhou Mountain, causing the Heavenly Pillar to break, the earth tilted to the southeast, and the water of the Heavenly River flowed into the world, causing a huge disaster.
This story not only shows the unruly character of Gonggong who dares to fight against the mandate of heaven, but also reflects the understanding and imagination of the ancient people about the natural world and the order of the universe.
In addition to the mythological color, co-workers also have their own people in history. According to historical records, the Gonggong clan was a tribal leader in ancient times, who was good at water control and made important contributions to ancient water conservancy projects. Therefore, the name of Gonggong is closely related to water control, and has become one of the symbols of ancient water conservancy culture.
When we understand this background knowledge, and then look at the word "co-work", do we feel that it has become richer and more three-dimensional?
Of course, for those of us who are moderns, learning about these ancient cultures and histories is not just about correcting a pronunciation.
Imagine if Gonggong were living today, he might appear on a variety show and say, "Hello everyone, I'm Gonggong, not 'gòng gōng', but 'gōng gōng'!" Please remember! Isn't this kind of scene both interesting and impressive?
In this fast-paced era, we may need to slow down from time to time to explore the stories and legends that have been forgotten in history.
Because there, we can not only find our roots, but also discover more about life and the world.