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道别 (dào bié) — to say goodbye (formal); to bid farewell

Definition

道别 (dàobié) is a formal verb meaning 'to bid farewell.' Like 告别 and 告辞, it belongs to written/formal register, contrasted with the more neutral 送别 ('to see someone off', from the senders side).

verb
to say goodbye (formal)to bid farewell

Examples

  • ，道别。
    Zài jī chǎng, wǒ gēn péng you men dào bié.
    At the airport, I said goodbye to my friends.
  • 道别。
    Tā xiàng dà jiā huī shǒu dào bié.
    He waved goodbye to everyone.
  • ，道别。
    Huì yì jié shù hòu, wǒ men hù xiāng dào bié.
    After the meeting ended, we said goodbye to each other.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

道dàosay
别biéfarewell

道 (say) and 别 (farewell) combine to mean saying goodbye.

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
行行xíngstreet
止止zhǐfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
𩠐
首shǒu道dào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Early 道 showed a street 行, a foot 止, and a part written 首 or 𩠐; the right part of 行 later disappeared.

Open 道 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 別; 别 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 別 pairs 冎 (bone) with 刀 (knife), showing a knife cutting up bone and flesh. The simplified 别 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 别 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Greetings & Politeness

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