‘吞并’ is a formal, transitive verb meaning ‘to annex’ or ‘to absorb’, typically used when one entity fully incorporates another—most commonly in political, territorial, or corporate contexts. The first character 吞 (tūn) literally means ‘to swallow’, evoking the image of one thing consuming another whole; the second character 并 (bìng) means ‘to merge’ or ‘to unite’, reinforcing the idea of integration rather than mere cooperation. Together, they convey a forceful, irreversible absorption where the absorbed party loses its independent status.

This word carries a neutral-to-slightly-negative connotation, implying imbalance of power and often lack of consent. It’s common in news reports about mergers and acquisitions (e.g., large companies buying smaller ones), historical accounts of empire expansion (e.g., ancient states annexing neighboring territories), and geopolitical analyses. It is rarely used for personal, informal, or voluntary situations—unlike synonyms like ‘合并’ (hébìng), which implies mutual agreement.