烈 liè — ardent; intense; split; crack; rend
太阳火辣辣的，阳光很强烈。Tài yáng huǒ là là de, yáng guāng hěn qiáng liè.The sun is scorching, and the sunlight is very intense.
Common words: 强烈 (qiáng liè)、热烈 (rè liè)、激烈 (jī liè)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "crack"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "crack", including 烈 (liè), 裂 (liè), 缝 (féng / fèng), 隙 (xì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "crack" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 烈 (liè), 裂 (liè), 缝 (féng / fèng), 隙 (xì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span liè, féng, fèng, xì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 烈 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 烈 lièardent; intense; split; crack; rendUseful words: 强烈, 热烈
- 裂 liècrack; splitUseful words: 分裂, 破裂
- 缝 féng / fèngto sew; to stitch; crack; seamUseful words: 裁缝, 裂缝
- 隙 xìcrack; occasion for dislikeUseful words: 空隙, 间隙
Common words for these 4 "crack" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 烈 (liè) — so "crack" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
强烈qiáng lièstrong; intense热烈rè lièenthusiastic; ardent; warm激烈jī liè(of competition or fighting) intense; fierce; (of pain) acute; (of an expression of opinion) impassioned分裂fēn lièto split up; to divide; to break up; fission破裂pò lièto burst; to rupture; (of a relationship etc) to break down裂缝liè fèngcrack; crevice裁缝cái féngto make an item of clothing; to tailor裂缝liè fèngcrack; crevice缝合féng héto sew together; suture (in surgery); to sew up (a wound)空隙kòng xìcrack; gap between two objects; gap in time between two events
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 4 ways to say "crack".
裂 liè — crack; split
天气太干，土地都裂开了。Tiān qì tài gān, tǔ dì dōu liè kāi le.The weather is so dry that the ground has cracked.
Common words: 分裂 (fēn liè)、破裂 (pò liè)、裂缝 (liè fèng)
缝 féng / fèng — to sew; to stitch; crack; seam
妈妈帮我缝好了掉了的纽扣。Mā ma bāng wǒ féng hǎo le diào le de niǔ kòu.Mom sewed back on the button that had fallen off.
Common words: 裁缝 (cái féng)、裂缝 (liè fèng)、缝合 (féng hé)
隙 xì — crack; occasion for dislike
阳光从门缝的空隙里照了进来。Yáng guāng cóng mén fèng de kòng xì lǐ zhào le jìn lái.Sunlight shone in through the gap in the door.
Common words: 空隙 (kòng xì)、间隙 (jiàn xì)、气隙 (qì xì)
All 4 characters
Open 烈、裂、缝 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.