TongTong
Sign in

分家 (fēn jiā) — to divide family property and live apart (of adult siblings)

Definition

A separable verb meaning adult siblings split the family property and live apart, usually after the parents die. It refers specifically to dividing a household's assets, not just moving out.

verb
to divide family property and live apart (of adult siblings)

Examples

  • ，。
    Xiōng dì liǎ qù nián fēn le jiā, gè guò gè de rì zi.
    The two brothers divided the family property last year and now live separate lives.
  • ，分家。
    Fù mǔ qù shì hòu, sān gè hái zi jué dìng fēn jiā.
    After the parents passed away, the three children decided to divide the family property and live separately.
  • ，分家。
    Zài nóng cūn, fēn jiā shì yí jiàn hěn cháng jiàn de shì qing.
    In rural areas, dividing family property is a very common thing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

分fēndivide
家jiāfamily

分 divides 家, the family property.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →
Appears in
Family & Kinship

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.