Meaning of 离婚
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to divorce
How to use 离婚
离婚 is a verb-object word, so it often works like a verb without a direct object. To say who you divorce, use 跟 or 和 before the person. Example: 他跟妻子离婚了。(Tā gēn qīzi líhūn le.) He divorced his wife.
Split it into its two parts: 离 (lí) means to leave or separate, as in 离开 (líkāi), and 婚 (hūn) means marriage, as in 结婚 (jiéhūn). To leave a marriage is to divorce.
Common mistake: Learners often say 他离婚了他的妻子, putting the spouse after the verb as in English. Because 婚 is already the object, the person goes before the verb with 跟 or 和: 他跟他的妻子离婚了.
离婚 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
离 lí · to leave · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
婚 hūn · to get married · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 离婚.
| 离开 | líkāi | to depart; to leave |
| 结婚 | jiéhūn | to marry; to get married |
| 婚礼 | hūnlǐ | wedding ceremony; wedding |
| 距离 | jùlí | distance; separation (in space or time); to be ... away from; to be ... from |
| 离不开 | lí bu kāi | inseparable; inevitably linked to |
| 脱离 | tuōlí | to separate oneself from; to break away from |
| 分离 | fēnlí | to separate |
| 远离 | yuǎnlí | to be far from; to keep away from |
| 撤离 | chèlí | to withdraw from; to evacuate |
| 婚姻 | hūnyīn | marriage; matrimony |
| 求婚 | qiúhūn | to propose marriage |
| 订婚 | dìnghūn | to get engaged |
Questions about 离婚
What does 离婚 mean?
离婚 (líhūn) means "to divorce".
How do you write 离婚?
离婚 is made of 2 characters: 离 (10 strokes), 婚 (11 strokes). That is 21 strokes in total.
Is 离婚 an HSK word?
Yes. 离婚 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 离婚 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 离婚 is written 離婚.
Can I put words between 离 and 婚?
Yes. Since 离婚 is a verb-object compound, you can split it, for example 离过婚 (lí guo hūn), meaning to have been divorced before. You can also say 离了两次婚 (lí le liǎng cì hūn), meaning divorced twice.
How do I say someone is divorced or ask about divorce politely?
To describe the status, say 他离婚了 (tā líhūn le) or 他离过婚 (tā lí guo hūn). Divorce is a personal topic in China, so it is usually not asked about directly unless you know the person well.