Chinese word

分散

Pronunciation

Pinyinfēn sàn

Meaning

  • verbscatter

Example

人群开始分散了。rén qún kāi shǐ fēn sàn le

The crowd began to scatter.

Illustration for 分散 (scatter)

More examples

为了降低风险，投资者把资金分散到不同的项目。wèi le jiàng dī fēng xiǎn tóu zī zhě bǎ zī jīn fēn sàn dào bù tóng de xiàng mù

To reduce risk, investors spread their funds across different projects.

Core concept

A concentrated group or pattern opens out until its members no longer occupy one shared center.

Common phrases

  • 分散注意力fēn sàn zhù yì lì

    distract attention

  • 分散风险fēn sàn fēng xiǎn

    spread risk

  • 分散投资fēn sàn tóu zī

    diversify investments

Similar words

散开sàn kāi: To break up and move away from a gathered group.
分开fēn kāi: To divide one whole or group into separate parts by an action.
分布fēn bù: To exist in separate places throughout a particular area.
扩散kuò sàn: To move through the surrounding area while becoming thinner or weaker.

Definition in Chinese

从整体或集中状态变为分散状态，既可指人或物的散开，也可指意见、数据的分布不集中。cóng zhéng tǐ huò jí zhōng zhuàng tài biàn wéi fēn sàn zhuàng tài jì kě zhǐ rén huò wù de sàn kāi yě kě zhǐ yì jiàn shù jù de fēn bù bù jí zhōng

Word origin

The compound 分散 (fēnsàn, "scatter") joins 分 (fēn, "separate") and 散 (sàn, "scatter"), linking the act of separating with the resulting spread.

Usage tips

  • The subject need not be people, since attention, money, opinions, and data can all be described as losing concentration, making this verb useful in both casual conversation and simple reports.

Other meanings

  • varyverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 分散化fēn sàn huàdiversificationnoun

Word lists with this word