TongTong
Sign in

隔阂 (gé hé) — estrangement, emotional distance; barrier (e.g., cultural, language)

Definition

隔阂 refers to emotional or relational distance between people/groups — a mutual feeling of alienation, not a single misunderstanding. Compared to 屏障 or 壁垒 (which stress an external obstacle), 隔阂 lives inside the relationship itself.

noun
estrangementemotional distancebarrier (e.g., cultural, language)

Examples

  • 隔阂，。
    Tā men zhī jiān yì zhí yǒu gé hé, hěn shǎo jiāo liú.
    There has always been estrangement between them; they rarely communicate.
  • 隔阂。
    Wén huà gé hé kě yǐ tōng guò hù xiāng liǎo jiě lái xiāo chú.
    Cultural barriers can be eliminated through mutual understanding.
  • 隔阂。
    Yǔ yán gé hé ràng liǎng gè guó jiā de rén hěn nán gōu tōng.
    Language barriers make it hard for people from two countries to communicate.

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
阂hébarrier

隔 (separate) and 阂 (barrier) combine to mean estrangement or a barrier.

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 閡; 阂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méngate
Sound part声符shēngfú
亥
亥hài閡hé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 閡 uses 門, a gate, and 亥 to suggest its pronunciation. The simplified 阂 is a shorthand.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract Concepts

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.