別

Translingual

Han character

Stroke order

別 (Kangxi radical 18, 刀+5, 7 strokes, cangjie input 口尸中弓 (RSLN), four-corner 6220₀, composition ⿰𠮠刂)

Derived characters

• 哵, 𡌀 (哵, 𡌀), 𡷘, 𢃉, 捌 (捌), 𪶃, 㭭 (㭭), 𪺤, 𦛺, 𥇂 (𦛺, 𥇂), 𥒻, 𥞲, 𠣶, 𦖇 (𠣶, 𦖇), 𫊽, 𮐆, 𧧸, 𨡊, 𨧢 (𨡊, 𨧢), 𪿍, 𬩁, 𩷤
• 𤿱 (𤿱), 𡋾, 莂 (莂), 𥦂, 䇷 (䇷), 𨴾

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 138, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1924
• Dae Jaweon: page 312, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 328, character 13
• Unihan data for U+5225

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 別
Shang	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Qin slip script	Small seal script

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 冎 (“bone”) + 刂 (“knife”) – to cut up bone and flesh.

Etymology 1

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *brat (“cut apart, cut open”). Cognate to 八 (OC *preːd, “to divide; to differentiate”), 列 (OC *red), 裂 (OC *red).

Mei (2008) proposes that the intransitive sense "to leave, to part" (with voiced initial *b- in Middle Chinese) is primary and that the transitive sense "to discriminate, to discriminate" (with voiceless initial *p-) is derived from the intransitive sense with the Old Chinese causative prefix *s-, resulting in a devoicing effect: *s-b- > *s-p- > *p-; compare 黑 (OC *s-mək, “black”) from 墨 (OC *mək, “ink”). On the other hand, Sagart and Baxter (2012) consider the intransitive sense to be derived from the transitive sense (*pret) by prefixation of *N-, resulting in a voicing effect: *N-p- > *N-b- > *b-; compare 敗 (OC *N-pˤrat-s, “to suffer defeat”) from 敗 (OC *pˤrat-s, “to defeat”).

Sense "do not" is a contraction of 不要 (bùyào).

Pronunciation

Definitions

別

1. (literary) to divide; to separate
2. to distinguish; to differentiate; to discriminate

   區別／区别  ―  qūbié  ―  difference; to distinguish

3. distinction; difference; contrast

   天壤之別／天壤之别  ―  tiānrǎngzhībié  ―  a world of difference

4. group; class; kind

   性別／性别  ―  xìngbié  ―  sex; gender

   派別／派别  ―  pàibié  ―  sect

5. to leave; to part

   永別／永别  ―  yǒngbié  ―  to part forever

   不辭而別／不辞而别  ―  bùcí'érbié  ―  to leave without saying goodbye

   久別重逢／久别重逢  ―  jiǔ bié chóngféng  ―  to meet after a long separation

6. (Wu, dialectal Mandarin) to turn; to change

   恐怕有人聽見，把頭別轉來望著門外。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
   恐怕有人听见，把头别转来望著门外。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

   From: Wu Jingzi, The Scholars, 1750 CE

   Kǒngpà yǒurén tīngjiàn, bǎ tóu bié zhuǎnlái wàng zhe ménwài.

   Worrying if someone might be listening, he turned his head and went towards the door.

7. to pin; to clip
8. to stick something in; to bolt
9. (Southern Min) to interpret (one's fortune); to predicate

   See also: 逼

   別籤詩／别签诗 [Hokkien]  ―  piat chhiam-si [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  to interpret lottery poetry (poetry associated with fortune sticks)

10. another; other

    別人／别人  ―  biérén  ―  other people

    你以為你還有別的選擇嗎？ [MSC, trad.]
    你以为你还有别的选择吗？ [MSC, simp.]

    Nǐ yǐwéi nǐ hái yǒu bié de xuǎnzé ma?

    You think you have other options?

11. special; unique; peculiar; particular

    別致／别致  ―  biézhì  ―  distinctive; novel

12. misspelled; erroneous

    別字／别字  ―  biézì  ―  incorrectly written or mispronounced character

13. by oneself; on one's own; separately

    別樹一幟／别树一帜  ―  bié shù yī zhì  ―  to have a distinct style of one's own

    • 項梁使沛公及項羽別攻城陽，屠之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
      项梁使沛公及项羽别攻城阳，屠之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

      From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

      Xiàng Liáng shǐ Pèigōng jí Xiàng yǔ bié gōng Chéngyáng, tú zhī.

      (please add an English translation of this usage example)

14. had better not; do not; don't

    別去！／别去！  ―  Bié qù!  ―  Don't go!

    我的事你別管。／我的事你别管。  ―  Wǒ de shì nǐ bié guǎn.  ―  Stay out of my business.

    別忘了在你的信上貼張郵票。 [MSC, trad.]
    别忘了在你的信上贴张邮票。 [MSC, simp.]

    Bié wàng le zài nǐ de xìn shàng tiē zhāng yóupiào.

    Don't forget to put a stamp on your letter.

15. particle used with 是 after it to express supposition, often an imagined unfavourable scenario
16. a surname

Synonyms

Compounds

Descendants

Etymology 2

References

• “別”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: べち (bechi)
• Kan-on: へつ (hetsu)
• Kan’yō-on: べつ (betsu, Jōyō)
• Kun: わかれる (wakareru, 別れる, Jōyō); わける (wakeru, 別ける); わかれ (wakare)

Compounds

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) べつ (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Adjective

別(べつ) • (betsu) -na (adnominal 別(べつ)な (betsu na), adverbial 別(べつ)に (betsu ni))

1. different, separate, another

Inflection

Noun

別(べつ) • (betsu) 

1. difference

   男女(だんじょ)の別(べつ)

   danjo no betsu

   difference between the sexes

2. another

   別(べつ)の人(ひと)にも言(い)われた

   betsu no hito ni mo iwareta

   was told such by someone else too

3. exception

   日本(にほん)は別(べつ)として

   Nihon wa betsu to shite

   setting aside Japan

   事実(じじつ)かどうかは別(べつ)にして

   jijitsu ka dō ka wa betsu nishite

   setting aside whether it is the truth or not

Suffix

別(べつ) • (-betsu) 

1. separated by

   ジャンル別(べつ)の映画(えいが)

   janru-betsu no eiga

   movies by genre

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Adjective

別(べち) • (bechi) ^†-nari

1. different, separate, another

Inflection

Noun

別(べち) • (bechi) 

1. difference

References

Korean

Hanja

別 (eumhun 다를 별 (dareul byeol))

1. Hanja form^? of 별 (“difference”).

Compounds

Vietnamese

Han character

別: Hán Nôm readings: biệt, biết, bét, bết, bệt, bịt, bẹt, bít

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.