诀别 (jué bié) — to bid farewell forever; to part forever

Definition

诀别 (juébié) is a formal, literary verb meaning a final, irreversible farewell — not an ordinary goodbye. Unlike everyday 分手 or 告别, it implies permanence, often tinged with sorrow, as in parting from a loved one or homeland for the last time.

verb
to bid farewell foreverto part forever

Examples

  • 诀别。
    Tā men hán lèi jué bié le gù xiāng.
    They tearfully bid farewell to their hometown forever.
  • 诀别，。
    Zhè cì jué bié, yě xǔ jiù shì yǒng bié.
    This farewell may be a permanent separation.
  • ，诀别。
    Zài chē zhàn, tā men jué bié le bǐ cǐ.
    At the station, they said goodbye to each other forever.

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.

诀juéfarewell
别biépart

诀 and 别 both give the idea of parting, so it means to bid farewell forever.

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 訣; 诀 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài訣jué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 訣 puts 言 beside 夬: 言 is the meaning part, and 夬 gives the sound. The simplified 诀 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 诀 →

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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