Usage note
分离表示分开、离开。
fēn lí biǎo shì fēn kāi 、 lí kāi。
分离 means to separate or part from.
Context note
分离常用于情感、科学和生活。
fēn lí cháng yòng yú qíng gǎn 、 kē xué hé shēng huó。
It is often used in emotions, science, and daily life.
5 examples
水和油很难分离。
shuǐ hé yóu hěn nán fēn lí。
Water and oil are hard to separate.
他们暂时分离了。
tā men zàn shí fēn lí le。
They were separated temporarily.
这个过程会分离两种物质。
zhè ge guò chéng huì fēn lí liǎng zhǒng wù zhì。
This process will separate the two substances.
朋友分离时都很难过。
péng yǒu fēn lí shí dōu hěn nán guò。
Friends feel sad when they part.
分离以后，大家更珍惜见面。
fēn lí yǐ hòu， dà jiā gèng zhēn xī jiàn miàn。
After parting, everyone cherishes meeting more.
5 mini stories
毕业后，朋友们各自分离了。
bì yè hòu， péng yǒu men gè zì fēn lí le。
After graduation, the friends parted ways.
科学课上，老师讲了如何分离物质。
kē xué kè shàng， lǎo shī jiǎng le rú hé fēn lí wù zhì。
In science class, the teacher explained how to separate substances.
他们因为工作暂时分离。
tā men yīn wèi gōng zuò zàn shí fēn lí。
They were temporarily separated because of work.
分离让人有点不习惯。
fēn lí ràng rén yǒu diǎn bù xí guàn。
Separation makes people a little uncomfortable.
经过处理，油和水终于分离。
jīng guò chǔ lǐ， yóu hé shuǐ zhōng yú fēn lí。
After treatment, the oil and water were finally separated.
Mini dialogue
放学回家
A
放学后我们就要暂时分离了。
Fàngxué hòu wǒmen jiù yào zànshí fēnlí le.
We will have to separate for a while after school.
B
没关系，明天我们又能见面。
Méiguānxi, míngtiān wǒmen yòu néng jiànmiàn.
It's okay, we can meet again tomorrow.
混合材料
A
怎么把沙子和石头分离出来？
Zěnme bǎ shāzi hé shítou fēnlí chūlái?
How can we separate the sand from the stones?
B
用筛子可以把它们分离。
Yòng shāizi kěyǐ bǎ tāmen fēnlí.
We can use a sieve to separate them.
Related words and contrasts
similar
分开
fēn kāi
separate
Often interchangeable; 分开 is more common in daily speech.
opposite
团聚
tuán jù
reunite
分离 means to part; 团聚 means to come together again.
related
离别
lí bié
parting
离别 emphasizes the sadness of leaving someone.