分 (fēn): to divide, to separate, to distribute, to allocate, to distinguish (good and bad)
分 (fēn) is a Chinese character meaning “to divide.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 八 (structural) and 刀 (structural). It ranks #79 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 分 pieces 八 being further subdivided with a knife 刀 . Its radical form 刂 (knife) appears in many related characters such as 别 (bié, to leave), 到 (dào, to reach), 前 (qián, front).
Definitions
- to divide
- to separate
- to distribute
- to allocate
- to distinguish (good and bad)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicPieces 八 being further subdivided with a knife 刀
Decomposition: ⿱八刀 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 分 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 分
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 分钟measure | fēn zhōng | minute | 1 |
| 部分noun | bù fen | part | 4 |
| 分手verb | fēn shǒu | to part company | 5 |
| 十分adverb | shí fēn | very | 4 |
| 分析verb | fēn xī | to analyze | 5 |
| 分享verb | fēn xiǎng | to share (esp. sth enjoyable, useful or beneficial) | 5 |
| 分开verb | fēn kāi | to separate | 3 |
| 过分adjective | guò fèn | excessive | 5 |
| 得分verb/noun | dé fēn | to score a point (in a competition, test etc) | 3 |
| 充分adjective | chōng fèn | ample | 5 |
| 分离verb | fēn lí | to separate | 5 |
| 分散adjective/verb | fēn sàn | to scatter | 6 |
| 分别verb/adverb/noun | fēn bié | to part | 5 |
| 成分noun | chéng fèn | composition | 5 |
| 分配verb | fēn pèi | to distribute | 5 |
| 分数noun | fēn shù | (exam) grade | 4 |
| 比分noun | bǐ fēn | score (of a game or competition) | 5 |
| 分类verb | fēn lèi | to classify | 5 |
| 区分verb | qū fēn | to differentiate | 6 |
| 分布verb | fēn bù | to scatter | 5 |
| 分为verb | fēn wéi | to divide sth into (parts) | 4 |
| 水分noun | shuǐ fèn | moisture content | 5 |
| 学分noun | xué fēn | course credit | 5 |
| 划分verb | huà fēn | to divide up | 6 |
| 百分点noun | bǎi fēn diǎn | percentage point | 6 |
| 分工verb | fēn gōng | to divide up the work | 6 |
| 分级verb | fēn jí | to rank | 6 |
| 分期verb | fēn qī | by stages | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 分子 | fèn zǐ | variant of 分子 |
| 大部分noun | dà bù fen | the greater part |
| 分裂verb | fēn liè | to split up |
| 分心verb | fēn xīn | to divert one's attention |
| 美分noun | měi fēn | one cent (United States coin) |
| 分成verb | fēn chéng | to divide (into) |
| 万分adverb | wàn fēn | very much |
| 分辨verb | fēn biàn | to distinguish |
| 一部分 | yī bù fen | portion |
| 天分 | tiān fèn | natural gift |
| 百分noun | bǎi fēn | percent |
| 分歧noun | fēn qí | divergent |
| 百分之百phrase | bǎi fēn zhī bǎi | a hundred percent |
分 appears in 118 compound words: 58 as the first character, 35 as the last, and 7 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 分 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (56)
distribution according to need (principle of distribution in a communist society)
not distinguishing black or white (idiom); not to distinguish between right and wrong
distribution according to need (principle of distribution in a communist society)
Showing 12 of 56 idioms containing 分.
Example Sentences
请把这些文件分成两类，重要的和普通的。
Qǐng bǎ zhèxiē wénjiàn fēn chéng liǎng lèi, zhòngyào de hé pǔtōng de.
Please divide these documents into two categories: important and ordinary.
加纳与多哥海疆分歧将国际仲裁
jiā nà yǔ duō gē hǎi jiāng fēn qí jiāng guó jì zhòng cái
Ghana and Togo will arbitrate internationally due to maritime disputes
美国向联合国支付1.6亿美元部分欠款,仅为其约20..
měi guó xiàng lián gě guó zhī fù 1 . 6 yì měi yuán bù fēn qiàn kuǎn , jǐn wéi qí yuē 2 0 . .
The United States pays part of its $160 million arrears to the United Nations, only about 20 percent.
西部数据计划出售部分闪迪股份,筹资31.7亿美元
xī bù shǔ jù jì huá chū shòu bù fēn shǎn dí gǔ fèn , chóu zī . yì měi yuán
Western Digital plans to sell some SanDisk shares to raise $3.17 billion
西部数据拟出售部分闪迪股份 筹资31.7亿美元用于..
xī bù shǔ jù nǐ chū shòu bù fēn shǎn dí gǔ fèn chóu zī . yì měi yuán yòng yú . .
Western Digital to sell some SanDisk shares to raise $3.17 billion for...
能不能请你等几分钟？
Néng bù néng qǐng nǐděng jǐ fēnzhōng?
Would you please wait for a few minutes?
您愿意听我说几分钟话吗？
Nín yuànyì tīng wǒ shuō jǐ fēnzhōng huà ma?
Will you listen to me for a few minutes?
您的牛排要几分熟？
Nín de niúpái yào jǐfēn shú?
How would you like your steak?
假的钻石和真的钻石有什么分别？
Jiǎ de zuànshí hé zhēn de zuànshí yǒu shénme fēnbié?
What is the difference between imitation and real diamonds?
你知道分辨好坏吗？
Nǐ zhīdào fēnbiàn hǎohuài ma?
Do you know the difference between good and bad?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 分 (fēn) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 分 have?
What is the radical of 分?
What are the components of 分?
What are common words containing 分?
What characters sound the same as 分 (fēn)?
Is 分 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 分 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.