分解
fēn jiě · HSK 5
to break down
🧩 分 (divide) + 解 (untie/solve) = break apart and resolve
分 means to divide or split; 解 means to untie, loosen, or solve. Together 分解 literally means to divide-and-untie — to break something down into its components, whether a problem, a compound, or a structure.
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.
解 — horn 角 + knife 刀 + ox 牛
解 is an ideograph showing hands using a knife (刀) to separate the horn (角) from an ox (牛). The original meaning was to butcher or dismember an ox, which broadened to 'untie, separate, loosen,' and then extended figuratively to 'explain' or 'understand'—to take something apart mentally.