分手 (fēnshǒu) · to break up

分手 (fēnshǒu) means “to break up; to part”. It is written with 2 characters: 分 (to divide) + 手 (hand). It is an HSK 4 word in the 2021 standard.

How 分手 is built

The characters

分 fēn · to divide

What 分 is made of

八bā — eight
刀dāo — knife
- 丿 — falling stroke

Origin hint: Pieces 八 being further subdivided with a knife 刀 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

手 shǒu · hand

What 手 is made of

手 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 4 strokes.

Origin hint: A hand with the fingers splayed (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

Example sentences

下课后，我和小明在校门口分手。Xiàkè hòu, wǒ hé Xiǎo Míng zài xiào ménkǒu fēnshǒu.After class, Xiao Ming and I parted at the school gate.

听说他和女朋友分手了。Tīngshuō tā hé nǚpéngyou fēnshǒu le.I heard he broke up with his girlfriend.

Questions about 分手

What does 分手 mean?

分手 (fēnshǒu) means “to break up; to part”.

How do you pronounce 分手?

分手 is pronounced fēnshǒu.

Which HSK level is 分手?

分手 is in HSK 4 (2021) and Old HSK 5.

Related words

Learn 分手 with its group

It is part of HSK 4 (2021) · Group 40: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

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