相隔 (xiāng gé) — to be separated by (a distance or time); to be apart

Definition

Used for a gap in space or time between two things — often followed by a distance (五百公里) or a duration (多年). More literary than 距离 (noun, 'distance'), which names the gap itself.

verb
to be separated by (a distance or time)to be apart

Examples

  • 相隔。
    Zhè liǎng zuò chéng shì xiāng gé wǔ bǎi gōng lǐ.
    These two cities are 500 km apart.
  • 相隔，。
    Suī rán xiāng gé qiān lǐ, dàn wǒ men de gǎn qíng yī rán shēn hòu.
    Although separated by a thousand miles, our bond remains deep.
  • 相隔，。
    Tā men xiāng gé duō nián, zhōng yú yòu jiàn miàn le.
    They were apart for many years and finally met again.

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.

相xiāngmutually
隔géseparate

相 means mutually and 隔 means separate, so together they mean to be separated from each other.

Characters in this word

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

In 相, 目 is an eye and 木 is a tree, showing an eye looking at a tree; this originally meant “to observe.”

Open 相 →

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
阝Written in full as阜fùwall
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬲
鬲gé隔gé
Same sound today

隔 puts 阝, a wall, with 鬲, which gives the sound gé, to show separating with a wall.

Open 隔 →

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