划清 (huà qīng) — to draw a clear line (between), to make a clear distinction

Definition

划清 means to draw a firm, explicit boundary between two things, usually right and wrong, or to cut ties. Pairs with 界限 or 关系; stronger and more deliberate than the general 'distinguish' (区别/分清).

verb
to draw a clear line (between)to make a clear distinction

Examples

  • 划清。
    Wǒ men bì xū huà qīng zhèng yì hé xié è de jiè xiàn.
    We must draw a clear line between justice and evil.
  • 划清，。
    Tā jué dìng hé péng you huà qīng guān xì, bú zài lái wǎng.
    He decided to clearly distance himself from that friend and stop associating.
  • 划清，。
    Gōng sī xū yào huà qīng měi gè bù mén de zé rèn, bì miǎn tuī wěi.
    The company needs to clearly define each department's responsibilities to avoid buck-passing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

划huàdraw
清qīngclear

划 (draw) and 清 (clear) combine to mean drawing a line so that it becomes clear.

Characters in this word

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
刀刀dāo
Sound part声符shēngfú
戈
戈gē划huá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

划 is made of 刀, a knife, and 戈, a weapon. The 戈 part gives the sound.

Open 划 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
青
青qīng清qīng
Same sound today

清 has 氵 (water) on the left and 青 on the right to show its sound.

Open 清 →

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