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疏远 (shū yuǎn) — (adjective) distant, estranged (of a relationship); (verb) to drift apart, to become estranged from someone

Definition

Used for emotional or relational distance between people — 'estranged, to drift apart'. 远 and 遥远 are physical distance; 疏远 is about relationships cooling.

adjective
distantestranged (of a relationship)
verb
to drift apartto become estranged from someone

Examples

  • ，疏远。
    Tā men céng jīng shì hǎo péng you, hòu lái màn màn shū yuǎn le.
    They used to be good friends, but gradually drifted apart.
  • 疏远。
    Wǒ jué de tā zuì jìn duì wǒ hěn shū yuǎn.
    I feel he has been very distant with me lately.
  • 疏远。
    Bú yào yīn wèi gōng zuò máng jiù shū yuǎn le jiā rén.
    Don't distance yourself from your family just because you're busy with work.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

疏shūdistant
远yuǎnfar

疏 means not close and 远 means far; together they describe becoming distant.

Characters in this word

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

  • 疋疋pǐ
  • 㐬㐬㐬

The form 疏 combines 㐬 with 疋, where 疋 supplies the sound.

Open 疏 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
元
元yuán远yuǎn
Same sound today

远 combines 辶, meaning walk, with 元, used for its sound.

Open 远 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Friends & Social

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