离

離

chī, lí

㐫 + 禸

HSK 2.0Level 2

HSK 3.0Level 2

Frequency#418

Definitions

lí (verb) to leave; to part from; to be away from

lí (preposition) from; distance from

lí (preposition) without; independent of

Etymology

Pictograph of a legendary mountain demon with horns and a tail beween its legs, now written as 魑. The traditional character 離 (leave; depart; away from) was simplified to 离 by deleting the 隹 (bird) component.

About

The traditional character "離" structurally integrates the component "隹" denoting a bird with "离" acting as a phonetic element, originally conveying the idea of a bird being entangled or separated. Over centuries, its meaning generalized from this specific imagery to express the broader actions of departing, leaving, or becoming distant. The simplified form "离" retains the phonetic component while discarding the avian "隹", yet it continues to encode the core semantic notions of separation and departure inherited from its traditional counterpart.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

离开家的时候要锁门。

Lí kāi jiā de shí hòu yào suǒ mén.

Remember to lock the door when you leave home.

火车站离这儿很近。

Huǒ chē zhàn lí zhèr hěn jìn.

The train station is very close to here.

请不要远离你的父母。

Qǐng bù yào yuǎn lí nǐ de fù mǔ.

Please don't wander far from your parents.

他的办公室离我的很近。

Tā de bàn gōng shì lí wǒ de hěn jìn.

His office is very close to mine.

我们不得不暂时分离。

Wǒ men bù dé bù zàn shí fēn lí.

We have to be separated for a while.

离婚是一个艰难的决定。

Lí hūn shì yí gè jiān nán de jué dìng.

Divorce is a difficult decision.

他的观点脱离了实际情况。

Tā de guān diǎn tuō lí le shí jì qíng kuàng.

His viewpoint has deviated from the actual situation.

两国文化之间存在很大距离。

Liǎng guó wén huà zhī jiān cún zài hěn dà jù lí.

There is a great distance between the cultures of the two countries.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 㐫

Component: 禸

离