Chinese word

辨别

Pronunciation

Pinyinbiàn bié

Meaning

  • verbdistinguish

Example

我很难辨别真假。wǒ hěn nán biàn bié zhēn jiǎ

I have trouble distinguishing real from fake.

Illustration for 辨别 (distinguish)

More examples

通过指纹可以辨别出嫌疑人。tōng guò zhǐ wén ké yǐ biàn bié chū xián yí rén

Fingerprints can identify the suspect.

Core concept

A mental sorting process that uses noticeable features to draw a clear boundary between things.

Common phrases

  • 辨别真假biàn bié zhēn jiǎ

    distinguish real from fake

  • 辨别是非biàn bié shì fēi

    distinguish right from wrong

  • 辨别声音biàn bié shēng yīn

    distinguish sounds

Similar words

区别qū bié: Show how similar things differ by making their differences clear.
分辨fēn biàn: Tell things apart by noticing small or subtle details.
识别shí bié: Identify what a person or thing is through observation or investigation.
辨认biàn rèn: Recognize who a person is or what something is from a face, character, or other visible sign.

Definition in Chinese

识别事物的特征或真相，从而分清彼此的不同。shí bié shì wù de tè zhēng huò zhēn xiàng cóng ér fēn qīng bí cǐ de bù tóng

Word origin

辨 (biàn, "distinguish") + 别 (bié, "separate") combines recognizing a difference with marking things as separate.

Usage tips

  • The verb suits judgments based on evidence, so it is useful for decisions about authenticity, categories, and subtle differences rather than only for casual visual comparison.

Other meanings

  • tell apartverb
  • identifyverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 辨别力biàn bié lìability to distinguishnoun
  • 辨别能力biàn bié néng lìability to tell apartnoun

Word lists with this word