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派别 (pài bié) — faction; sect; school (of thought); group (within a larger organization)

Definition

派别 is a formal noun for a 'faction, school, or sect' — a labeled group within a larger field (politics, religion, academia). Stronger and more institutional than 圈子 ('informal social circle'); narrower than 阵营 ('one side in a dispute').

noun
factionsectschool (of thought)group (within a larger organization)

Examples

  • 派别。
    Zhè ge guó jiā de zhèng zhì pài bié dòu zhēng hěn jī liè.
    The political faction struggles in this country are intense.
  • ，派别。
    Zài yǔ yán xué lǐ, yǒu bù tóng lǐ lùn pài bié.
    In linguistics, there are different theoretical schools.
  • 派别。
    Zhè ge gōng sī de yuán gōng fēn chéng le jǐ gè pài bié.
    The employees of this company have split into several factions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

派pàifaction
别biécategory

派 and 别 both indicate a grouped category, so together they mean faction or school.

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
水水shuǐwater; river
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂢
𠂢𠂢派pài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

派 is built from 水 (water/river) and 𠂢. 𠂢 gives the sound, and 水 was added later to tell the character apart from the older form.

Open 派 →

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 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Groups & Organizations

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