别 (bié) — (verb) to part from, to separate; (verb) to pin, to attach with a pin; (verb) to distinguish, to differentiate
Definition
别 (bié) as a verb covers three senses: 'to part from', 'to pin/fasten', and 'to distinguish'. The 'distinguish' sense overlaps with 区别 and 区分 — 区别 is the everyday noun/verb pair, while 别 is the single-character verb form used in set phrases like 辨别.
verb
to part fromto separateto pinto attach with a pinto distinguishto differentiate
Examples
- ，。Tā hé péng you gào bié le, qù le bié de chéng shì.He said goodbye to his friend and went to another city.
- 别。Tā zài yī fu shàng bié le yì duǒ huā.She pinned a flower on her clothes.
- ？Nǐ néng biàn bié chū zhè liǎng gè shǒu jī de bù tóng ma?Can you distinguish the differences between these two phones?
Origin
Compound ideograph六书liùshū
会意huìyìTwo 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.
- 冎冎guǎbone
- 刂刀dāoknife
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.
Grammar
Appears in
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