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分手 (fēn shǒu) — to break up (with a romantic partner)

Definition

分手 is specifically for ending a romantic relationship. Different from 分开 (to part ways, any people or things) and 失恋 (to be the one broken up with, often through no choice of one's own).

verb
to break up (with a romantic partner)

Examples

  • 分手。
    Tā gēn wǒ fēn shǒu le.
    He broke up with me.
  • 。
    Tā men fēn guò liǎng cì shǒu.
    They broke up twice.
  • 分手，。
    fēn shǒu De shí hou, tā kū le.
    When they broke up, she cried.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

分fēnpart
手shǒuhand

The image of parting hands expresses breaking up or going separate ways.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 6Romance & Marriage2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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