Learn a Chinese Character - 隔

1. Character Basics

Radical: 阝 (fù, ear, indicates location or boundary)

Stroke Count: 12

Structure Analysis: Left-right structure, with '阝' (location) as the semantic component and '鬲' (lì, ancient cooking vessel) as the phonetic component. Originally referred to a partition or division, later extended to mean separation or distance.

Stroke Order:

2. Pronunciation

Pinyin: Gé (Second tone)

3. Meaning

Core Meaning: To separate; to divide; to be separated by; partition;隔阂 (estrangement)

Detailed Explanation: '隔' primarily means to separate or divide, creating a distance or barrier between things. It can refer to physical separation (如：隔着墙 - separated by a wall) or abstract separation (如：隔阂 - estrangement). It is often used to indicate that something is separated by a certain distance or obstacle.

4. Common Words

• 隔离 (gé lí): Isolate; quarantine

  为了防止疾病传播，需要隔离病人。 (Wèile fángzhǐ jíbìng chuánbō, xūyào gélí bìngrén.) - To prevent the spread of disease, patients need to be isolated.

• 隔开 (gé kāi): Separate; divide

  用屏风把房间隔开。 (Yòng píngfēng bǎ fángjiān gékāi.) - Use a screen to separate the room.

• 隔壁 (gé bì): Next door; adjacent

  我的邻居住在隔壁。 (Wǒ de línjū zhù zài gébì.) - My neighbor lives next door.

• 隔阂 (gé hé): Estrangement; misunderstanding

  他们之间有很深的隔阂。 (Tāmen zhījiān yǒu hěn shēn de géhé.) - There is a deep estrangement between them.

• 间隔 (jiàn gé): Interval; space

  每行文字之间要有适当的间隔。 (Měi háng wénzì zhījiān yào yǒu shìdàng de jiàngé.) - There should be appropriate spacing between each line of text.

5. Grammar & Usage

Part of Speech: Mainly used as a verb or noun.

Usage Patterns:

• As a verb: Indicates the action of separating or being separated (e.g., 隔离 - isolate, 隔开 - separate)
• As a noun: Indicates the state of being separated or the thing that separates (e.g., 间隔 - interval, 隔阂 - estrangement)
• Common structure: "隔 + (measure word) + (noun)" to indicate separation by something (e.g., 隔一层玻璃 - separated by a layer of glass)

Common Collocations:

• 隔离 (gé lí): Isolate
• 隔开 (gé kāi): Separate
• 隔壁 (gé bì): Next door
• 隔阂 (gé hé): Estrangement
• 间隔 (jiàn gé): Interval
• 隔断 (gé duàn): Partition

6. Cultural Background

'隔' is an important concept in Chinese culture, reflecting ideas about space, relationship, and communication.

Historical Significance: In ancient Chinese architecture, '隔' was often used to describe partitions or screens that divided interior spaces, creating both privacy and airflow.

Cultural Symbolism: The character '隔' also carries cultural connotations of boundaries and connections. For example, '隔壁邻居' (gé bì línjū, next-door neighbor) reflects the traditional Chinese emphasis on community and neighborly relations.

Philosophical Connotations: In Chinese philosophy, the concept of '隔' is sometimes discussed in relation to understanding and communication. The idea of '打破隔阂' (dǎpò géhé, breaking down barriers) is valued in fostering mutual understanding.

Modern Relevance: Today, '隔' is commonly used in various contexts, from urban planning (间隔 - spacing) to public health (隔离 - quarantine) to interpersonal relationships (隔阂 - estrangement).

7. Example Sentence

8. Memory Tips

Component Breakdown: '隔' consists of '阝' (fù, ear, indicates location) on the left and '鬲' (lì, ancient cooking vessel) on the right. '阝' indicates the semantic connection to location or boundary, while '鬲' provides the pronunciation hint.

Visual Association: Imagine a divider or wall separating two spaces, which relates to the meaning of '隔' as separation.

Word Family: Learn words related to '隔' to reinforce your memory:

• 隔离 (gé lí): Isolate
• 隔开 (gé kāi): Separate
• 隔壁 (gé bì): Next door
• 隔阂 (gé hé): Estrangement
• 间隔 (jiàn gé): Interval

Memory Phrase: "隔壁邻居隔道墙，心灵不能有隔阂" (Gé bì línjū gé dào qiáng, xīnlíng bùnéng yǒu géhé) - "Next-door neighbors are separated by a wall, but hearts should not have estrangement"