“分别” (fēnbié)

分别 as a Verb — to part from, to say goodbye, to separate

Used when people leave each other or go their separate ways.

 Sentence Pattern:

• A 和 B 分别了 – A and B separated

• A 跟 B 分别 – A parted from B

 Examples:

• 我跟他在机场分别了。
  Wǒ gēn tā zài jīchǎng fēnbié le.
  → I parted from him at the airport.

• 他们在十年前分别，现在又见面了。
  Tāmen zài shí nián qián fēnbié, xiànzài yòu jiànmiàn le.
  → They separated ten years ago and now meet again.

分别 as an Adverb — respectively, one by one

Used to indicate actions are done separately or by each person/thing in a list.

 Sentence Pattern:

• A 和 B 分别 did something = A and B did something respectively

 Examples:

• 我们分别去了不同的城市。
  Wǒmen fēnbié qùle bùtóng de chéngshì.
  → We went to different cities respectively.

• 他和她分别获得了第一名和第二名。
  Tā hé tā fēnbié huòdéle dì yī míng hé dì èr míng.
  → He and she won first and second place, respectively.

✨ Summary: