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离家 (lí jiā) — to leave home (for work, study, or independence)

Definition

离家 is a separable verb meaning 'to leave home' (usually for work, study, or independent life). It focuses on physically leaving the family home, not on a temporary trip away.

verb
to leave home (for work, study, or independence)

Examples

  • 离家。
    Wǒ shí bā suì jiù lí jiā qù běi jīng gōng zuò le.
    I left home for Beijing to work at age eighteen.
  • ，。
    Tā lí le jiā hǎo duō nián le, guò nián cái huí lái.
    He left home many years ago and only comes back for Chinese New Year.
  • 离家，。
    lí jiā Yǐ hòu, wǒ cái xué huì zì jǐ zuò fàn.
    Only after leaving home did I learn to cook for myself.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

离líleave
家jiāhome

The action 离 'leave' and the place 家 'home' combine to mean departing from home.

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 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →
Appears in
Home & Housing

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