TongTong
Sign in

瓜分 (guā fēn) — to carve up, to partition (territory, resources, assets) in a forceful or unfair manner

Definition

瓜分 means to carve up something — typically territory, resources, or a market — by force or unfair means. Unlike 分配 ('distribute') or 划分 ('divide into parts'), it carries a strong sense of predatory plunder, often between rivals or powers.

verb
to carve up, to partition (territory, resources, assets) in a forceful or unfair manner

Examples

  • 瓜分。
    Zhí mín zhě qǐ tú guā fēn zhè ge guó jiā de lǐng tǔ.
    The colonizers attempted to carve up this country's territory.
  • 瓜分。
    Nà jiā gōng sī bèi jǐ gè jìng zhēng duì shǒu guā fēn le.
    That company was carved up by several competitors.
  • ，瓜分。
    Lì shǐ shàng, dà guó jīng cháng guā fēn ruò xiǎo guó jiā de zī yuán.
    Historically, great powers often carved up the resources of weaker countries.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

瓜guāmelon
分fēndivide

瓜 evokes cutting a melon into pieces, and 分 means divide, so it describes carving something up.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 瓜 is drawn from a melon hanging from its vines, which matches its meaning.

Open 瓜 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Government & Politics

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