裂隙 (liè xì) — crack, crevice, fracture

Definition

noun
crackcrevicefracture
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 裂隙。
    Dì zhèn hòu shān tǐ biǎo miàn chū xiàn le xǔ duō liè xì.
    After the earthquake, many cracks appeared on the mountain surface.
  • 裂隙。
    Hùn níng tǔ qiáng shàng de liè xì rú guǒ bù jí shí xiū bǔ huì yuè lái yuè kuān.
    If the cracks on the concrete wall are not repaired in time, they will get wider.
  • 裂隙。
    Tā men zhī jiān de gǎn qíng yǐ jīng chū xiàn le wú fǎ mí hé de liè xì.
    An irreparable rift has appeared in their relationship.

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.

裂liècrack
隙xìgap

裂 and 隙 both refer to breaks or gaps, forming a crack or crevice.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
列
列liè裂liè
Same sound today

裂 combines 衣 (clothes) with 列 for the sound. The picture of 列 shows bones cut by a blade and lined up, and the whole writes the idea of cutting and tearing clothes.

Open 裂 →

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
⻖Written in full as阜fùmound
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡭴
𡭴𡭴隙
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 隙, the left ⻖ is the mound form 阜, while 𡭴 gives the sound; the whole shows a hole or gap in a wall.

Open 隙 →

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