离去 (lí qù) — to depart, to leave (formal/literary)

Definition

A formal/literary verb meaning 'to depart, to leave,' often used in writing or poetic contexts rather than everyday speech.

verb
to departto leave (formal/literary)

Examples

  • 离去，。
    Tā qiāo qiāo de lí qù le, méi yǒu gēn rèn hé rén gào bié.
    He left quietly without saying goodbye to anyone.
  • ，离去。
    Liè chē huǎn huǎn qǐ dòng, xiàng yuǎn fāng lí qù.
    The train slowly started and departed into the distance.
  • ，离去。
    Suì yuè wú qíng, qīng chūn zhōng jiāng lí qù.
    Time is merciless; youth will eventually depart.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

离líleave
去qùgo away

离 contributes leave and 去 go away, together giving departure.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 離; 离 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
离
离lí離lí
Same sound today

The traditional form 離 pairs 隹, a bird, with the sound part 离; the simplified 离 is a shorthand. This form first wrote a black-naped oriole, and the sound was borrowed for 'leave'.

Open 离 →

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

去 pairs 大, a man, with 口, a mouth or object. The evidence reads this as a man leaving a place, a man opening his mouth, or a cover over an object.

Open 去 →

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