离心 (lí xīn) — (verb) to become estranged, to be at odds, disunited; (attributive) centrifugal (in compounds such as 离心力)

Definition

Used both for people becoming estranged or disunited, and as a technical prefix meaning 'centrifugal' (as in 离心力). The people sense is uncommon outside formal or literary writing.

verb
to become estrangedto be at oddsdisunited(attributive) centrifugal (in compounds such as 离心力)

Examples

  • 离心。
    Tā men fū qī zhī jiān yǐ jīng lí xīn le.
    The couple is already estranged.
  • 。
    lí xīn Lì shì wù lǐ xué zhōng yì zhǒng cháng jiàn de lì.
    Centrifugal force is a common type of force in physics.
  • 离心。
    Zhè ge tuán duì de chéng yuán kāi shǐ lí xīn le.
    The members of this team are beginning to be disunited.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

离líleave
心xīnheart

离 means to leave or separate from 心, the heart or center, giving the sense of estrangement or centrifugal force.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →

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