判别 (pàn bié) — to differentiate; to distinguish

Definition

Formal/literary verb meaning 'to distinguish, to tell apart', often used in technical, scientific, or analytical contexts. Synonymous with the more colloquial 区分 (qūfēn, HSK 5).

verb
to differentiateto distinguish

Examples

  • 判别。
    Tā hěn nán pàn bié zhè liǎng gè xuǎn xiàng de chā bié.
    He finds it hard to differentiate between these two options.
  • 判别。
    Tōng guò yán sè kě yǐ pàn bié chū nǎ zhǒng shuǐ guǒ shì shú de.
    You can tell which fruit is ripe by the color difference.
  • 判别。
    Zhuān jiā hěn kuài pàn bié chū le zhè fú huà shì zhēn pǐn hái shì yàn pǐn.
    The expert quickly distinguished whether this painting was genuine or a fake.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

判pàndiscern
别biédistinguish

判 (discern) and 别 (distinguish) together mean tell things apart.

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dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
半
半bàn判pàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

判 combines 刀, a knife, with 半, which provides the sound.

Open 判 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 別; 别 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 別 pairs 冎 (bone) with 刀 (knife), showing a knife cutting up bone and flesh. The simplified 别 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 别 →

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