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离别 (lí bié) — to part (for a long period), to bid farewell (for an extended time)

Definition

A literary, written verb meaning 'to part ways for a long time,' with a heavier emotional tone than the everyday verb 分手 (which usually means breaking up).

verb
to part (for a long period)to bid farewell (for an extended time)

Examples

  • 离别。
    Zhè cì lí bié bù zhī dào shén me shí hou cái néng zài jiàn.
    This parting, I don't know when we'll meet again.
  • 离别，。
    lí bié De shí hou, tā rěn bú zhù kū le.
    When parting, she couldn't help crying.
  • 离别，。
    Duō nián de péng you tū rán lí bié, ràng rén hěn nán guò.
    Friends of many years suddenly parting makes people very sad.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

离líleave/separate
别biépart/say goodbye

离 means to leave and 别 means to part or say goodbye; together they mean to part from someone.

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.

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 →

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 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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