隔 gé to separate
to separate; to partition; to divide; at a distance from
How to remember 隔: 阝 mound + 鬲 three-legged pot = to separate. A small mound of sand and a three-legged pot full of flowers are all the neighbours need to separate their two gardens.
Component breakdown
隔 = 阝 mound + 鬲 three-legged pot
- 阝 mound
- 鬲 three-legged pot
A small mound of sand and a three-legged pot full of flowers are all the neighbours need to separate their two gardens.
How it is used
- 隔壁 gébì "next door" is everyday vocabulary: 隔壁邻居 (gébì línjū) "next-door neighbor."
- 时隔 shígé is a set pattern for "X time having passed since": 时隔十年 (shí gé shí nián) "ten years later."
- 隔离 gélí is to isolate/quarantine (people, systems), while 隔阂 géhé is emotional distance or a rift between people, not physical separation.