Definitions

(verb) to cut; to slice

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "割", signifying to cut or divide, derives its structure from the component 害, associated with harm or injury, combined with the knife radical 刂, which directly references the tool used for such an action. This compositional logic points to an original sense of cutting as a means of inflicting damage or creating separation, where 害 likely functioned both phonetically and semantically. Its meaning has progressively broadened from denoting physical incision to encompassing metaphorical divisions, such as the cession of land or the abstraction of partitioning, thereby extending its application to various contexts of severance and allocation.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn (~700 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我正在草。

Wǒ zhèngzài gē cǎo.

I am mowing the grass.

断了绳子。

Tā gēduàn le shéngzi.

He cut the rope.

农民收稻子。

Nóngmín shōugē dàozi.

Farmers harvest rice.

舍过去很难。

Gēshě guòqù hěn nán.

It is hard to give up the past.

这块土地被让了。

Zhè kuài tǔdì bèi gēràng le.

This piece of land was ceded.

裂历史是错误的。

Gēliè lìshǐ shì cuòwù de.

Splitting history is wrong.

几何中线是重要的。

Jǐhé zhōng gēxiàn shì zhòngyào de.

In geometry, secant lines are important.

据势力导致分裂。

Gējù shìlì dǎozhì fēnliè.

Separatist forces lead to division.