líhūn: 离婚 - Divorce, To Get Divorced

• Keywords: 离婚, líhūn, divorce in China, Chinese word for divorce, get divorced in Chinese, marriage in China, Chinese social norms, 分手, 结婚, Chinese family law, HSK 4 vocabulary.
• Summary: 离婚 (líhūn) is the essential Chinese word for “divorce,” referring to the legal dissolution of a marriage. As a core HSK 4 vocabulary item, it's a practical term for understanding modern Chinese society. This page breaks down its meaning, cultural significance, and practical usage, offering a window into the evolving views on marriage and relationships in contemporary China, including key differences from the West.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): líhūn
• Part of Speech: Verb, Noun (specifically, a separable verb)
• HSK Level: HSK 4
• Concise Definition: To divorce; to end a marriage.
• In a Nutshell: 离婚 (líhūn) is the direct and standard term for the legal act of getting divorced. Unlike English which has various phrasal verbs (“split up,” “break up”), 离婚 specifically refers to the end of a legal marriage. It is a neutral term used in everyday conversation, legal contexts, and news reports.

• 离 (lí): To leave, to separate from, to be distant from. Pictorially, it's often described as a bird (隹) leaving its shelter or net. The core idea is separation.
• 婚 (hūn): Marriage, wedding. This character is composed of the “woman” radical 女 (nǚ) and a phonetic component 昏 (hūn), which means dusk. Anciently, wedding ceremonies were often held at dusk.
• Together, 离婚 (líhūn) literally means “to separate from a marriage,” a very logical and clear combination of its parts.

Historically, divorce in China was extremely rare and carried a heavy social stigma (stigma is often associated with the concept of losing face, 丢脸 diūliǎn). Marriage was seen less as a union of two individuals and more as an alliance between two families, with a strong emphasis on social stability and continuing the family line. To divorce was to disrupt this harmony and was especially difficult for women, who had less social and economic independence. In modern China, especially in urban areas, this has changed dramatically. The divorce rate (离婚率 - líhūn lǜ) has risen significantly. This shift reflects greater economic independence for women, an increased focus on individual happiness, and the influence of global culture. However, a key cultural difference remains. Compared to the West, where divorce is often framed primarily through the lens of individual fulfillment, the decision to divorce in China can still involve heavier consideration of one's parents' feelings and the impact on the wider family. To address rising divorce rates, the Chinese government instituted a mandatory 30-day “cooling-off period” (冷静期 - lěngjìng qī) in 2021, requiring couples to wait before finalizing their divorce. This legal measure highlights a societal-level concern for preserving marriage that is less pronounced in many Western countries.

离婚 is a common, neutral term used in all registers of speech, from casual conversation to legal documents. Its most important grammatical feature is that it's a separable verb. This means you can insert other words between 离 and 婚.

• As a simple verb: 他们离婚了。 (Tāmen líhūn le.) - They got divorced.
• As a noun: 离婚是个很复杂的决定。 (Líhūn shì ge hěn fùzá de juédìng.) - Divorce is a very complicated decision.
• As a separable verb:
  • To indicate completion or past experience: 他离过婚。 (Tā lí guo hūn.) - He has been divorced before.
  • To specify the divorce: 我不想离这个婚。 (Wǒ bùxiǎng lí zhè ge hūn.) - I don't want to go through with *this* divorce.

The term is neither slang nor overly formal; it is the standard, accepted word.

• Example 1:
  • 他们因为性格不合，决定离婚。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen yīnwèi xìnggé bùhé, juédìng líhūn.
  • English: They decided to divorce due to incompatible personalities.
  • Analysis: 性格不合 (xìnggé bùhé) is a very common and socially acceptable reason given for divorce in China.
• Example 2:
  • 我父母去年离婚了。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ fùmǔ qùnián líhūn le.
  • English: My parents got divorced last year.
  • Analysis: A simple, direct statement of fact. The particle 了 (le) indicates the completed action.
• Example 3:
  • 近年来，中国的离婚率一直在上升。
  • Pinyin: Jìnniánlái, Zhōngguó de líhūn lǜ yīzhí zài shàngshēng.
  • English: In recent years, China's divorce rate has been continuously rising.
  • Analysis: Here, 离婚 is used as part of a compound noun, 离婚率 (líhūn lǜ), meaning “divorce rate.”
• Example 4:
  • 她离过一次婚，现在带着一个孩子。
  • Pinyin: Tā lí guo yī cì hūn, xiànzài dài zhe yī ge háizi.
  • English: She has been divorced once and now has a child.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the separable nature of the verb. 过 (guo) indicates a past experience, and 一次 (yī cì) specifies “one time.”
• Example 5:
  • 你听说了吗？小王和她丈夫正在办离婚手续。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ tīngshuō le ma? Xiǎo Wáng hé tā zhàngfu zhèngzài bàn líhūn shǒuxù.
  • English: Did you hear? Xiao Wang and her husband are going through divorce proceedings.
  • Analysis: 办离婚手续 (bàn líhūn shǒuxù) means “to handle the divorce procedures,” a common and practical phrase.
• Example 6:
  • 吵架归吵架，但我们从没想过要离婚。
  • Pinyin: Chǎojià guī chǎojià, dàn wǒmen cóng méi xiǎngguo yào líhūn.
  • English: Arguing is one thing, but we've never thought about getting a divorce.
  • Analysis: This sentence structure “A归A” (A guī A) means “A is A, but…” and is used to separate two ideas. It shows that arguing doesn't necessarily lead to divorce.
• Example 7:
  • 很多人认为，离婚对孩子的伤害是最大的。
  • Pinyin: Hěn duō rén rènwéi, líhūn duì háizi de shānghài shì zuì dà de.
  • English: Many people believe that divorce harms children the most.
  • Analysis: This sentence reflects a common social concern in China regarding divorce.
• Example 8:
  • 按照新规定，申请离婚需要一个月的冷静期。
  • Pinyin: Ànzhào xīn guīdìng, shēnqǐng líhūn xūyào yī ge yuè de lěngjìng qī.
  • English: According to the new regulations, applying for a divorce requires a one-month cooling-off period.
  • Analysis: This refers to the specific legal change implemented in China in 2021.
• Example 9:
  • 他威胁说，如果妻子再跟他吵，他就跟她离婚。
  • Pinyin: Tā wēixié shuō, rúguǒ qīzi zài gēn tā chǎo, tā jiù gēn tā líhūn.
  • English: He threatened that if his wife argued with him again, he would divorce her.
  • Analysis: Shows 离婚 used in a conditional “if…then…” (如果…就…) sentence.
• Example 10:
  • 这对夫妻的婚离不成了，因为他们又和好了。
  • Pinyin: Zhè duì fūqī de hūn lí bu chéng le, yīnwèi tāmen yòu héhǎo le.
  • English: This couple couldn't go through with the divorce because they reconciled.
  • Analysis: A perfect example of a potential-complement structure with a separable verb. 离不成 (lí bu chéng) means “unable to successfully divorce.”

The most critical mistake for English-speaking learners is confusing 离婚 (líhūn) with 分手 (fēnshǒu).

• 离婚 (líhūn): Exclusively for married couples. It is a legal action.
• 分手 (fēnshǒu): Used for unmarried couples (boyfriend/girlfriend). It means “to break up.”

Using one for the other is a serious and sometimes humorous error.

• INCORRECT: 我和我的女朋友离婚了。 (Wǒ hé wǒ de nǚpéngyou líhūn le.)
  • Why it's wrong: You cannot legally divorce a girlfriend.
• CORRECT: 我和我的女朋友分手了。 (Wǒ hé wǒ de nǚpéngyou fēnshǒu le.) - I broke up with my girlfriend.
• INCORRECT: 他们结婚十年了，最后分手了。 (Tāmen jiéhūn shí nián le, zuìhòu fēnshǒu le.)
  • Why it's wrong: While colloquially understandable, 分手 is the wrong term for a married couple. It sounds imprecise and almost childish.
• CORRECT: 他们结婚十年了，最后离婚了。 (Tāmen jiéhūn shí nián le, zuìhòu líhūn le.) - They were married for 10 years and finally divorced.

Remember the separable verb structure. Saying `离了婚 (líle hūn)` is more common and natural in speech than just `离婚了 (líhūn le)` when talking about a completed action.

• 结婚 (jiéhūn) - To get married. The direct antonym of 离婚.
• 分手 (fēnshǒu) - To break up. The equivalent of divorce but for unmarried couples.
• 婚姻 (hūnyīn) - Marriage; matrimony. Refers to the institution or state of being married, more abstract than 结婚.
• 夫妻 (fūqī) - Husband and wife; a married couple. The two people involved in a 婚姻 and who might 离婚.
• 单身 (dānshēn) - Single. The state of a person after a 离婚 or before a 结婚.
• 离婚率 (líhūn lǜ) - Divorce rate. A common statistical term used in sociology and news.
• 冷静期 (lěngjìng qī) - Cooling-off period. The mandatory 30-day period before a divorce can be finalized in China.
• 出轨 (chūguǐ) - To have an extramarital affair (literally “to leave the tracks”). A common cause of 离婚.
• 性格不合 (xìnggé bùhé) - Incompatible personalities. A frequently cited, socially acceptable reason for 离婚.
• 再婚 (zàihūn) - To remarry. What someone might do after getting a 离婚.