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送别 (sòng bié) — to see someone off; to bid farewell

Definition

送别 emphasizes physically accompanying someone as they leave (e.g., at the station). 告别 and 道别 focus on the words of parting, and 告辞 is used when a guest asks leave of a host.

verb
to see someone offto bid farewell

Examples

  • 送别。
    Míng tiān wǒ yào qù huǒ chē zhàn sòng bié péng you.
    Tomorrow I'm going to the train station to see a friend off.
  • ，送别，。
    Bì yè nà tiān, tóng xué men hù xiāng sòng bié, hěn duō rén kū le.
    On graduation day, classmates bid each other farewell, and many cried.
  • 送别，。
    Tā zài jī chǎng sòng bié le jiā rén hòu, dú zì dēng shàng le fēi jī.
    After seeing his family off at the airport, he boarded the plane alone.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

送sòngsee off
别biéparting

'送' means to see off, and '别' names the parting, so the word describes seeing someone off at a farewell.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòto walk
Sound part声符shēngfú
灷
灷zhuàn送sòng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

送 combines 辶, the walking radical, with 灷, which supplies the sound; the walking part fits meanings like see off or deliver.

Open 送 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Greetings & PolitenessTravel & Tourism

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