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别

bié / biè

别bié

1. adverb don't (prohibitive, core word of negative imperatives)

   别说话，老师来了。

   Bié shuōhuà, lǎoshī lái le.

   Stop talking — the teacher is coming.

2. adjective other; another (as in 别的, 别人)

   我们聊点别的吧。

   Wǒmen liáo diǎn biéde ba.

   Let's talk about something else.

3. verb to part; to leave (as in 告别, 分别)

   临别时她哭了。

   Línbié shí tā kū le.

   She cried when it was time to part.

4. verb to pin; to fasten (with a pin or clip)

   他在胸前别了一朵花。

   Tā zài xiōngqián bié le yī duǒ huā.

   He pinned a flower to his chest.

5. verb to distinguish; to differentiate (as in 区别, 类别)

   这两个概念很容易区分，不难区别。

   Zhè liǎng ge gàiniàn hěn róngyì qūfēn, bù nán qūbié.

   These two concepts are easy to distinguish and not hard to tell apart.

别biè

1. adjective awkward; unnatural; obstinate (as in 别扭)

   这句话读起来很别扭。

   Zhè jù huà dú qǐlái hěn bièniu.

   This sentence sounds awkward when read aloud.

2. verb to turn away (one's head, face)

   他一气之下，把头别过去。

   Tā yī qì zhī xià, bǎ tóu biè guòqù.

   In a fit of anger, he turned his head away.

The full ChinesePath dictionary entry for 别 includes audio for every reading and example sentence, more example sentences, collocations, synonyms and links to the course units where it is taught.