Usage note
分手表示恋人结束关系。
fēn shǒu biǎo shì liàn rén jié shù guān xì。
分手 means for a couple to end a relationship.
Context note
分手常用于感情、新闻和聊天。
fēn shǒu cháng yòng yú gǎn qíng 、 xīn wén hé liáo tiān。
It is often used in relationships, news, and conversation.
5 examples
他们最后还是分手了。
tā men zuì hòu hái shì fēn shǒu le。
They finally broke up.
分手后，他很难过。
fēn shǒu hòu， tā hěn nán guò。
After the breakup, he was very sad.
朋友劝她不要急着分手。
péng yǒu quàn tā bú yào jí zhe fēn shǒu。
A friend advised her not to rush to break up.
这对情侣今天分手。
zhè duì qíng lǚ jīn tiān fèn shǒu。
This couple broke up today.
分手并不一定是坏事。
fēn shǒu bìng bù yí dìng shì huài shì。
Breaking up is not necessarily a bad thing.
5 mini stories
听到他们分手的消息，大家都很惊讶。
tīng dào tā men fēn shǒu de xiāo xī， dà jiā dōu hěn jīng yà。
Everyone was surprised to hear they broke up.
分手后，他开始认真生活。
fēn shǒu hòu， tā kāi shǐ rèn zhēn shēng huó。
After the breakup, he began to live seriously.
她和朋友聊了分手的事情。
tā hé péng yǒu liáo le fēn shǒu de shì qíng。
She talked with a friend about the breakup.
有些人分手后会更成熟。
yǒu xiē rén fēn shǒu hòu huì gèng chéng shú。
Some people become more mature after breaking up.
他们分手了，但还是好朋友。
tā men fēn shǒu le， dàn hái shì hǎo péng yǒu。
They broke up, but are still good friends.
Related words and contrasts
similar
分开
fēn kāi
separate
分手 is specifically for ending a romantic relationship; 分开 can be used more generally.
opposite
和好
hé hǎo
make up
分手 means to break up; 和好 means to reconcile.
related
告别
gào bié
say goodbye
告别 is a general farewell; 分手 implies ending a relationship.