解 jiě / jiè / xiè — to separate; to divide; to break up; to loosen; to explain; to untie
这道数学题我解不出来。Zhè dào shù xué tí wǒ jiě bu chū lái.I cannot solve this math problem.
Common words: 了解 (liǎo jiě)、解决 (jiě jué)、理解 (lǐ jiě)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to separate"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to separate", including 解 (jiě / jiè / xiè), 析 (xī), 违 (wéi), 隔 (gé). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to separate" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 解 (jiě / jiè / xiè), 析 (xī), 违 (wéi), 隔 (gé) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jiě, jiè, xiè, xī, wéi, gé — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 解 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 解 jiě / jiè / xièto separate; to divide; to break up; to loosen; to explain; to untieUseful words: 了解, 解决
- 析 xīto separate; to divide; to analyzeUseful words: 分析, 解析
- 违 wéito disobey; to violate; to separate; to go againstUseful words: 违法, 违反
- 隔 géto separate; to stand or lie between; to divide; to cut offUseful words: 隔开, 隔壁
Common words for these 4 "to separate" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 解 (jiě / jiè / xiè) — so "to separate" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
了解liǎo jiěto understand; to realize; to find out解决jiě juéto solve; to resolve; to settle (a problem); to eliminate理解lǐ jiěto comprehend; to understand分析fēn xīto analyze; analysis解析jiě xīto analyze; to resolve; (math.) analysis; analytic析出xī chūto separate out违法wéi fǎillegal; to break the law违反wéi fǎnto violate (a law)违规wéi guīto violate the rules隔开gé kāito separate
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 "to separate".
析 xī — to separate; to divide; to analyze
老师帮我们分析了这道难题。Lǎo shī bāng wǒ men fēn xī le zhè dào nán tí.The teacher analyzed this difficult problem for us.
Common words: 分析 (fēn xī)、解析 (jiě xī)、析出 (xī chū)
违 wéi — to disobey; to violate; to separate; to go against
闯红灯是违反交通规则的。Chuǎng hóng dēng shì wéi fǎn jiāo tōng guī zé de.Running a red light violates traffic rules.
Common words: 违法 (wéi fǎ)、违反 (wéi fǎn)、违规 (wéi guī)
隔 gé — to separate; to stand or lie between; to divide; to cut off
我和他家只隔着一条小河。Wǒ hé tā jiā zhǐ gé zhe yì tiáo xiǎo hé.My home and his are separated by only a small river.
Common words: 隔开 (gé kāi)、隔壁 (gé bì)、隔离 (gé lí)
All 4 characters
Open 解、析、违 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.