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分担 (fēn dān) — to share (a task, cost, or responsibility)

Definition

分担 means to shoulder part of a load together — costs, chores, or responsibility. Unlike 分享 (sharing experiences, feelings, food), 分担 focuses on splitting a burden, not enjoying something good.

verb
to share (a task, cost, or responsibility)

Examples

  • 分担。
    Dà jiā yì qǐ fēn dān jiā wù.
    Everyone shares household chores together.
  • 分担。
    Tā zhǔ dòng fēn dān le wǒ de gōng zuò.
    She proactively shared my work.
  • 分担？
    Nǐ men yuàn yì fēn dān zhè ge zé rèn ma?
    Are you willing to share this responsibility?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

分fēnshare
担dānbear

分 suggests sharing, and 担 suggests bearing, together describing sharing a burden.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
旦
旦dàn担dàn
Same sound today

In 担, the left part 扌 is the hand, showing that the action involves using the hand. The right part 旦 shows how it sounds.

Open 担 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract Concepts

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