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隔离 (gé lí) — to isolate, to quarantine; to separate

Definition

To isolate or quarantine — usually for health, safety, or policy reasons, keeping people/things apart on purpose. Stronger and more deliberate than 隔 (mere physical distance); 孤立 focuses on social/emotional isolation.

verb
to isolateto quarantineto separate

Examples

  • 隔离。
    Què zhěn huàn zhě xū yào lì jí gé lí.
    Confirmed patients need to be isolated immediately.
  • 隔离。
    Zhèng fǔ yāo qiú cóng gāo fēng xiǎn dì qū huí lái de rén gé lí shí sì tiān.
    The government requires people returning from high-risk areas to quarantine for fourteen days.
  • ，隔离。
    Wèi le ān quán, wǒ men zuì hǎo gé lí qǐ lái.
    For safety, we'd better isolate ourselves.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

隔géseparate
离líleave

隔 means separate and 离 means leave; both parts point to keeping 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
阝Written in full as阜fùwall
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬲
鬲gé隔gé
Same sound today

隔 puts 阝, a wall, with 鬲, which gives the sound gé, to show separating with a wall.

Open 隔 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Medicine & Treatment5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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