分割
fēngē · HSK 7
to cut up; to break up
✂️ fēngē = divide (分) + cut (割) — a fence that separates two fields
The 分 means divide or separate, 割 means to cut. Together they literally mean cut-apart. The sound feng echoes fence — a fence cuts a property into separate sections.
分 — knife 刀 + eight 八 (split apart)
分 originally depicted a knife (刀) cutting something into two parts, shown by 八 above (which itself meant 'divide'). The core sense is 'to divide' or 'split', from which extended meanings like 'portion', 'minute', and 'part' developed. Pronounced fèn, it carries the sense of an allotted share.
割 — 害 (harm, phonetic) + 刂 (knife radical)
A semantic-phonetic compound: the knife radical 刂 gives the meaning 'cut,' while 害 supplies the sound. The original sense was to cut or slice with a blade, which extended to 'divide' and 'allot a share.' Modern uses like 割爱 (give up something dear) preserve this idea of cutting away.