The word 分裂 is formed through the conceptual and visual combination of its two component characters: 分, which originally depicted a knife dividing something in two, conveying the idea of separation or division; and 裂, which depicts torn cloth and conveys the idea of splitting apart or rupturing. Together, they create a compound where their individual meanings of "divide" and "split" blend to form the unified, intensified concept of "to split apart", "to break up", or "fission".