鉴别
jiàn bié · HSK 7
to differentiate
🔍 鉴 examine + 别 distinguish = examine closely to tell things apart
鉴 originally meant a bronze mirror used to inspect, so it carries the sense of careful examination; 别 means to separate or set apart. Together: to scrutinize and tell apart, like appraising real jade from fake.
别 — separate (knife 刂 + 另 phonetic/'other')
别 originally depicted using a knife (刂) to separate flesh from bone, giving the core sense of 'divide' or 'part from'. The left component 另 ('another, other') reinforces the idea of setting things apart and also hints at the sound. From 'separate' the meaning naturally extended to 'other, different' and to the adverb 'don't' (i.e. do otherwise).