划分
huàfēn · HSK 5
divide
✂️ 划 = draw/cut + 分 = divide; literally cut-and-divide into parts
划 means to draw a line or cut, and 分 means to split or divide. Together 划分 means to partition or demarcate — drawing lines that separate things into distinct categories or zones.
划 — knife radical 刂 + 戈 (dagger-axe)
Originally written 劃, a semantic-phonetic compound: 刂 (knife) gives the meaning of cutting or marking, while 畫 supplied the sound and the sense of drawing lines. The simplified form 划 reuses an older character meaning to row a boat. Today it covers both senses: huá (to row, to scratch) and huà (to mark off, to plan).
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.