verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to obstruct; to block; to keep apart

Examples

Tāmen liǎ zhījiān yǒu hěn shēn de géhé.
There is a deep barrier between the two of them.
Tǎnchéng gōutōng kěyǐ xiāochú rén yǔ rén zhījiān de géhé.
Honest communication can dissolve the estrangement between people.

Tips

usage
Almost always in 隔阂 — an emotional barrier, estrangement or misunderstanding between people. Not a physical wall; it is the invisible distance that keeps hearts apart.

Components

radical
mén
door; gate
Gate radical wrapping the top and sides, . A closed gate is the natural image of blocking and shutting out — fitting for a barrier between people. Same family as to close and gap.
phonetic
hài
(12th earthly branch)
Inside the gate sits , the phonetic (hài → hé). Same sound element appears in child and ought; here it lends only its reading.

Stroke Order