verb HSK 4
Traditional 分開
to separate · to part · to split up · to divide
Meaning
分开 means to separate or divide things or people that were together. It can refer to physically separating objects, people parting ways, or ending a relationship. The word combines 分 (to divide) and 开 (to open/apart), literally meaning to divide apart.
Usage
分开 is commonly used for both physical separation (like separating items) and emotional separation (like couples breaking up or friends parting). It can be used as a verb or as a resultative complement. When describing a breakup, 分开 is softer and more neutral than 分手 (to break up formally).
Examples
- 01请把红色的和蓝色的笔分开放。.Please put the red pens and blue pens separately.
- 02他们结婚五年后分开了。.They separated after five years of marriage.
Characters
Common collocations
- 分开住to live separately
- 分开来to separate (something) out
- 分开吃to eat separately
- 把...分开...to separate (something)
Antonyms
Origin
The combination of 分 (divide) and 开 (open/apart) creates a resultative verb compound that emphasizes the action of dividing something so that the parts move away from each other.