Zi Collection, Upper Volume, Page 13, Entry 04 Radical: Father (fù) Pronounced tóng Meaning: Father. "Zhengzitong" explains that this character is composed of "father" and "same." It means to be as close as a father. It is the same as the meaning of "jia mu" (foster mother) in the Huainan region. It is called "jia" (foster) because it is not the biological mother, and "tong" (same) because it is not the biological father.