切 qiē / qiè — to cut; to slice; close to
妈妈把苹果切成了四块。Mā ma bǎ píng guǒ qiē chéng le sì kuài.Mom cut the apple into four pieces.
Common words: 一切 (yī qiè)、亲切 (qīn qiè)、密切 (mì qiè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "close to"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "close to", including 切 (qiē / qiè), 逼 (bī), 邻 (lín). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "close to" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 切 (qiē / qiè), 逼 (bī), 邻 (lín) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qiē, qiè, bī, lín — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 切 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 切 qiē / qièto cut; to slice; close toUseful words: 一切, 亲切
- 逼 bīclose to; compel; force; compel; drive; press forUseful words: 逼迫, 逼近
- 邻 línneighbor; adjacent; close toUseful words: 邻居, 邻国
Common words for these 3 "close to" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 切 (qiē / qiè) — so "close to" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
一切yī qièeverything; every; all亲切qīn qièamiable; cordial; close and dear; familiar密切mì qièclose; intimate; to strengthen (ties, cooperation etc); closely逼迫bī pòto force; to compel; to coerce逼近bī jìnto press on towards; to close in on; to approach; to draw near逼真bī zhēnlifelike; true to life; distinctly; clearly邻居lín jūneighbor邻国lín guóneighboring country邻人lín rénneighbor
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "close to".
逼 bī — close to; compel; force; compel; drive; press for
我们不应该逼别人做不愿意的事。Wǒ men bù yīng gāi bī bié ren zuò bú yuàn yì de shì.We should not force others to do what they are unwilling to.
Common words: 逼迫 (bī pò)、逼近 (bī jìn)、逼真 (bī zhēn)
邻 lín — neighbor; adjacent; close to
我们和邻居相处得很融洽。Wǒ men hé lín jū xiāng chǔ de hěn róng qià.We get along well with our neighbors.
Common words: 邻居 (lín jū)、邻国 (lín guó)、邻人 (lín rén)
All 3 characters
Open 切、逼、邻 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.