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分离 (fēn lí) — to separate

Definition

分离 (fēnlí) means 'to separate' in a lasting or formal sense — people parting for years, or substances being isolated (see 科学家从空气中分离出氧气). 分开 is the everyday verb for physically splitting things apart.

verb
to separate

Examples

  • 分离。
    Kē xué jiā cóng kōng qì zhōng fēn lí chū le yǎng qì.
    Scientists separated oxygen from the air.
  • 分离，。
    Tā men fēn lí duō nián, zài jiàn miàn shí yǐ jīng rèn bù chū duì fāng le.
    They had been separated for many years, and when they met again they couldn't recognize each other.
  • 分离。
    Qǐng bǎ zhè duī lā jī fēn lí chéng kě huí shōu hé bù kě huí shōu liǎng lèi.
    Please separate this pile of trash into recyclable and non-recyclable categories.

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fēndivide; separate
离líleave; separate

分 and 离 both express separation, so together they mean to separate or part.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 離; 离 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
离
离lí離lí
Same sound today

The traditional form 離 pairs 隹, a bird, with the sound part 离; the simplified 离 is a shorthand. This form first wrote a black-naped oriole, and the sound was borrowed for 'leave'.

Open 离 →
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