Chinese word

离婚

Pronunciation

Pinyinlí hūn

Meaning

  • verbdivorce

Example

他们去年离婚了。tā men qù nián lí hūn le

They divorced last year.

Illustration for 离婚 (divorce)

More examples

她决定和丈夫离婚，开始新的生活。tā jué dìng hé zhàng fū lí hūn kāi shǐ xīn de shēng huó

She decided to divorce her husband and start a new life.

Core concept

The bond joining two spouses is brought to an official or mutually agreed end, leaving them separate in marital status.

Common phrases

  • 和丈夫离婚hé zhàng fū lí hūn

    divorce one's husband

  • 跟妻子离婚gēn qī zǐ lí hūn

    divorce one's wife

Similar words

分手fēn shǒu: To stop being romantically involved with a partner and go separate ways.
离异lí yì: To become officially unmarried after a marriage has ended.

Definition in Chinese

夫妻依法或双方协议终止婚姻关系，使双方不再具有夫妻身份的行为或状态。fū qī yī fǎ huò shuāng fāng xié yì zhōng zhǐ hūn yīn guān xì shǐ shuāng fāng bú zài jù yǒu fū qī shēn fèn de xíng wéi huò zhuàng tài

Word origin

离婚 (líhūn, "divorce") is a transparent compound of 离 (lí, "leave") + 婚 (hūn, "marriage"), linking its meaning to departure from the marital bond.

Usage tips

  • The 了 (le, "change-of-state marker") after this verb highlights a completed change in marital status rather than merely naming divorce as a topic.

Other meanings

  • separateverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 离婚证lí hūn zhèngdivorce certificatenoun

Word lists with this word