分別

Chinese

		to divide; minute; (a measure word) to divide; minute; (a measure word); (a unit of leng)	other; distinguish; contrary other; distinguish; contrary; difficult; awkward; leave; depart; separate; classify; another; do not; must not; to pin
trad. (分別)		分	別
simp. (分别)		分	别

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): fēnbié

(Zhuyin): ㄈㄣㄅㄧㄝˊ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): fen¹ bie²

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): фынбе (fɨnbi͡ə, I-I)
Cantonese (Jyutping): fan¹ bit⁶
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fûn-phe̍t
Eastern Min (BUC): hŭng-biék
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): hun-pia̍t / hun-piat

(Teochew, Peng'im): hung¹ biag⁸
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹fen-biq

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: fēnbié
  - Zhuyin: ㄈㄣㄅㄧㄝˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: fenbié
  - Wade–Giles: fên¹-pieh²
  - Yale: fēn-byé
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: fenbye
  - Palladius: фэньбе (fɛnʹbe)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /fən⁵⁵ pi̯ɛ³⁵/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: fen¹ bie²
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: fenbie
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /fən⁵⁵ piɛ²¹/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: фынбе (fɨnbi͡ə, I-I)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /fəŋ²⁴ piə²⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: fan¹ bit⁶
  - Yale: fān biht
  - Cantonese Pinyin: fan¹ bit⁹
  - Guangdong Romanization: fen¹ bid⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /fɐn⁵⁵ piːt̚²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fûn-phe̍t
  - Hakka Romanization System: fun^ˊ ped
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fun¹ ped⁶
  - Sinological IPA: /fun²⁴⁻¹¹ pʰet̚⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: hŭng-biék
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /huŋ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ ^(p-)miɛʔ²⁴/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hun-pia̍t
  - Tâi-lô: hun-pia̍t
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hunpiat
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /hun⁴⁴⁻³³ piɛt̚⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /hun⁴⁴⁻²² piɛt̚⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /hun⁴⁴⁻²² piɛt̚¹²¹/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /hun³³ piɛt̚²⁴/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hun-piat
  - Tâi-lô: hun-piat
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hunpiad
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /hun⁴⁴⁻²² piɛt̚³²/
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /hun⁴⁴⁻³³ piɛt̚³²/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: hung¹ biag⁸
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hung pia̍k
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /huŋ³³⁻²³ piak̚⁴/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹fen-biq
  - MiniDict: fen^平 bih
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹fen-biq
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /fən⁵⁵ biɪʔ²¹/

Middle Chinese: pjun bjet|pjet

Rime
Character	分	別	別
Reading #	1/2	1/2	2/2
Initial (聲)	幫 (1)	並 (3)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	文 (59)	薛 (83)	薛 (83)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Checked (Ø)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III	III
Fanqie	府文切	皮列切	方别切
Baxter	pjun	bjet	pjet
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/pɨun/	/bˠiᴇt̚/	/pˠiᴇt̚/
Pan Wuyun	/piun/	/bᵚiɛt̚/	/pᵚiɛt̚/
Shao Rongfen	/piuən/	/biæt̚/	/piæt̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/pun/	/biat̚/	/piat̚/
Li Rong	/piuən/	/bjɛt̚/	/pjɛt̚/
Wang Li	/pĭuən/	/bĭɛt̚/	/pĭɛt̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/pi̯uən/	/bʱi̯ɛt̚/	/pi̯ɛt̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	fēn	bié	bie
Expected Cantonese Reflex	fan¹	bit⁶	bit³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*pə[n] N-pret|pret/

(Zhengzhang): /*pɯn pred|bred/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	分	別	別
Reading #	1/2	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	fēn	bié	bié
Middle Chinese	‹ pjun ›	‹ bjet ›	‹ pjet ›
Old Chinese	/*pə[n]/	/*N-pret/	/*pret/
English	divide	be separated (intr.)	separate (tr.)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	分	別	別
Reading #	1/2	1/2	2/2
No.	3148	820	821
Phonetic component	分	别	别
Rime group	文	月	月
Rime subdivision	1	2	2
Corresponding MC rime	分	䇷	别
Old Chinese	/*pɯn/	/*pred/	/*bred/

Verb

分別

to part; to leave each other
to distinguish; to differentiate
從左至右分別為…… [MSC, trad.]
从左至右分别为…… [MSC, simp.]
cóng zuǒ zhì yòu fēnbié wéi...... [Pinyin]
from left to right are...

Synonyms

(to part):

edit

分離／分离 (fēnlí)
別離／别离 (biélí) (literary)
離別／离别 (líbié)

(to distinguish):

edit

分 (literary, or in compounds)
分化 (fēnhuà)
分揀／分拣 (fēnjiǎn) (literary)
分辨 (fēnbiàn)
判別／判别 (pànbié)
別白／别白 (biébái) (literary)
劃分／划分 (huàfēn)
區／区 (literary, or in compounds)
區分／区分 (qūfēn)
區別／区别 (qūbié)
區劃／区划 (qūhuà) (literary)
甄別／甄别 (zhēnbié)
科別／科别 (kēbié) (literary)
認／认 (rèn) (literary, or in compounds)
識別／识别 (shíbié)
辨別／辨别 (biànbié)
辨明 (biànmíng)
辨析 (biànxī) (to differentiate and analyze)
辨白 (biànbái) (literary)
辨認／辨认 (biànrèn)
辨識／辨识 (biànshí)
鑒別／鉴别 (jiànbié)
鑒識／鉴识 (jiànshí)

Adverb

分別

Noun

分別

difference

Synonyms

edit

不同 (bùtóng)
不同之處／不同之处 (bùtóng zhī chù)
出入 (chūrù)
分界線／分界线 (fēnjièxiàn) (figurative)
區別／区别 (qūbié)
差分 (chāfēn)
差別／差别 (chābié)
差異／差异 (chāyì)
差等 (cīděng) (literary)
差距 (chājù)
精差 (Hokkien)
落差 (luòchā) (typically between reality and one's expectations)
誤差／误差 (wùchā)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (分別):

→ Japanese: 分別(ふんべつ) (funbetsu)
→ Korean: 분별(分別) (bunbyeol)
→ Vietnamese: phân biệt (分別)

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
分	別
ぶん Grade: 2	べつ Grade: 4
on'yomi

Noun

分(ぶん)別(べつ) • (bunbetsu)

sorting, classification

Verb

分(ぶん)別(べつ)する • (bunbetsu suru) suru (stem 分(ぶん)別(べつ)し (bunbetsu shi), past 分(ぶん)別(べつ)した (bunbetsu shita))

sort (separate according to certain criteria), classify

Conjugation

Conjugation of "分別する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	分別し	ぶんべつし	bunbetsu shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	分別し	ぶんべつし	bunbetsu shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	分別する	ぶんべつする	bunbetsu suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	分別する	ぶんべつする	bunbetsu suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	分別すれ	ぶんべつすれ	bunbetsu sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	分別せよ¹ 分別しろ²	ぶんべつせよ¹ ぶんべつしろ²	bunbetsu seyo¹ bunbetsu shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	分別される	ぶんべつされる	bunbetsu sareru
Causative	分別させる分別さす	ぶんべつさせるぶんべつさす	bunbetsu saseru bunbetsu sasu
Potential	分別できる	ぶんべつできる	bunbetsu dekiru
Volitional	分別しよう	ぶんべつしよう	bunbetsu shiyō
Negative	分別しない	ぶんべつしない	bunbetsu shinai
Negative continuative	分別せず	ぶんべつせず	bunbetsu sezu
Formal	分別します	ぶんべつします	bunbetsu shimasu
Perfective	分別した	ぶんべつした	bunbetsu shita
Conjunctive	分別して	ぶんべつして	bunbetsu shite
Hypothetical conditional	分別すれば	ぶんべつすれば	bunbetsu sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
分	別
Grade: 2	Grade: 4

Noun

分別(ふんべつ) • (funbetsu)

sense (sound judgement), discretion

Derived terms

分別盛(ふんべつざか)り (funbetsuzakari)
分別(ふんべつ)くさい (funbetsukusai, “prudent-looking”)

Verb

分別(ふんべつ)する • (funbetsu suru) suru (stem 分別(ふんべつ)し (funbetsu shi), past 分別(ふんべつ)した (funbetsu shita))

discern

Conjugation

Conjugation of "分別する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	分別し	ふんべつし	funbetsu shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	分別し	ふんべつし	funbetsu shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	分別する	ふんべつする	funbetsu suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	分別する	ふんべつする	funbetsu suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	分別すれ	ふんべつすれ	funbetsu sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	分別せよ¹ 分別しろ²	ふんべつせよ¹ ふんべつしろ²	funbetsu seyo¹ funbetsu shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	分別される	ふんべつされる	funbetsu sareru
Causative	分別させる分別さす	ふんべつさせるふんべつさす	funbetsu saseru funbetsu sasu
Potential	分別できる	ふんべつできる	funbetsu dekiru
Volitional	分別しよう	ふんべつしよう	funbetsu shiyō
Negative	分別しない	ふんべつしない	funbetsu shinai
Negative continuative	分別せず	ふんべつせず	funbetsu sezu
Formal	分別します	ふんべつします	funbetsu shimasu
Perfective	分別した	ふんべつした	funbetsu shita
Conjunctive	分別して	ふんべつして	funbetsu shite
Hypothetical conditional	分別すれば	ふんべつすれば	funbetsu sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
分	別

Verb

分別

chữ Hán form of phân biệt (“to distinguish, to discriminate, to discern”).