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Hui (Chinese:會) is aChinese word, generally meaning 'conference', but which is sometimes used to refer to asecret society. It is often mutually interchangeable with terms likekongsi (Chinese:公司;pinyin:Gōngsī), a term generally used to mean 'corporation' or 'company'. Foroverseas Chinese, kongsi can also denote aChinese clan or a Chinese district association (Chinese:會館;pinyin:Huìgǔan). TheHokkien-derived termkongsi (公司,Pe̍h-ōe-jī:kong-si) is more widely known inSoutheast Asia, however, whereas inChina, the secret societies were just simply known ashui.
In modern Hawaii vernacular, hui is used to refer to any group or organization. Similarly, in Māori, the word hui retains its traditional meaning as a gathering.[1]
