Meaning
隔 describes physical or temporal separation between things. It can mean to separate or divide things with a barrier, or to describe things being apart from each other. The character combines 阜 (mound/barrier) and 鬲 (a type of ancient cooking vessel), suggesting the idea of something standing between two things.
Usage
隔 is commonly used in compound words and is often paired with other characters to form fixed expressions. It frequently appears in words describing walls, partitions, time intervals, and distance. The standalone character can function as a verb (to separate) or as a bound morpheme in numerous common words like 隔壁 (next door) and 隔离 (to isolate).
Examples
- 01我们家和他们家只隔一条街。.Our house and their house are only separated by one street.
- 02隔着玻璃窗，我看见她在里面工作。, .Through the glass window, I saw her working inside.
Common collocations
- 隔着separated by, through
- 隔三差五every few days, frequently
- 隔夜overnight, from the previous day
- 隔开to separate, to partition off
Antonyms
Origin
The character combines 阜 (fù, mound/barrier) on the left with 鬲 (lì, an ancient tripod cooking vessel) on the right. The phonetic component 鬲 also suggests the meaning of something that divides or stands between.