离散 (lí sàn) — dispersed; scattered; discrete (mathematics)

Definition

Adjective meaning 'dispersed/scattered' in general use, and specifically 'discrete' in mathematics (as in 离散数学). The math sense is fixed terminology; the everyday sense covers people or things spread out without order.

adjective
dispersedscattereddiscrete (mathematics)

Examples

  • 离散。
    Zhàn zhēng dǎo zhì xǔ duō lí sàn de jiā tíng wú fǎ tuán jù.
    The war caused many scattered families to be unable to reunite.
  • 离散。
    lí sàn Shù xué shì jì suàn jī kē xué de zhòng yào jī chǔ.
    Discrete mathematics is an important foundation of computer science.
  • 离散。
    Tā men jiāng lián xù xìn hào zhuǎn huà wèi lí sàn xìn hào.
    They convert continuous signals into discrete signals.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

离líseparate
散sànscatter

离 (separate) and 散 (scatter) combine as parallel actions to mean dispersed.

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.

  • 林林líntrees, forest
  • 攴攴pūto knock, to tap

散 combines 林 (trees or forest) and 攴 (to knock or tap), originally showing knocking to clear vegetation, later extended to breaking up or dispersing.

Open 散 →

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