裂
liè · HSK 6
to split
🪓 列 (row) atop 衣 (clothes) — fabric torn along a line
The sound liè matches 列 liè (a row). A tear in cloth runs straight, splitting along the weave — hence 裂, to crack or rend apart.
裂 — 列 (liè, phonetic) + 衣 (clothing)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 衣 'clothing' gives the meaning and 列 supplies the sound. The original sense was tearing or splitting cloth, which broadened to 'split, crack, rupture' in general. The 衣 component is written split around 列 rather than on the side.