距离
jùlí · HSK 4
distance
📏 距 = foot 足 + 巨 (big); 离 = leave/separate — foot-distance apart
距 originally meant a rooster's spur (a measured gap on the foot), then generalized to 'gap/distance'. 离 means 'separate/leave'. Together: the gap between two separated things.
距 — foot radical 足 + 巨 (jù, large/ruler)
距 combines the foot radical 足 with 巨, which provides the sound. Originally it referred to the spur on a rooster's leg, then extended to mean 'distance' or 'to be apart from'—the gap measured between two points, like strides of the foot.
离 — top 亠 + 凶 + 禸 (animal track)
Originally depicted a long-tailed bird caught in a net, from which the early sense 'oriole' arose. The character was later borrowed phonetically for the unrelated verb meaning 'to leave' or 'be apart from,' which became its dominant modern usage. The original bird sense faded out of everyday use.