About
掰 combines the character 分 (fēn, 'divide') between two instances of the hand radical 扌 (shǒu), forming a vivid ideogram of two hands tearing something apart. As a verb, it specifically means to break, snap, or tear something using both hands with manual force, as when splitting a bread roll or twisting off an ear of corn. Unlike general terms for breaking, 掰 denotes a precise, hand-driven action, and its structure directly mirrors the motion: hands on either side pull 分 apart in the center.
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