间隔

• Pinyin: jiàn gé
• Hanzi breakdown: 间 = 门 (door) + 日 — between; 隔 = 阝 (place) + 鬲 (tripod vessel) — to separate

Meaning

Interval; gap; to space out. The distance or time between things.

Used for both spatial intervals (distance between objects) and temporal intervals (time between events). Common in scientific, medical, and scheduling contexts. Can function as both a verb (to separate, space out) and a noun (the interval itself).

Examples

1. 公交车发车间隔在高峰时段缩短到五分钟一班。 Bus departure intervals are shortened to one every five minutes during peak hours.
2. 每两排座位之间要保持足够的间隔。 There should be sufficient spacing between every two rows of seats.
3. 这种药需要间隔八小时服用一次。 This medicine needs to be taken once every eight hours.

Usage Guide

Context: scheduling, spatial, medical

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请保持一米间隔。(Please maintain a one-meter distance.)
• 两次接种需要间隔四周。(The two vaccinations need to be spaced four weeks apart.)

Don't Say

• 用'间隔'来描述人际关系的疏远 (Don't use 间隔 for emotional distance between people — use 隔阂 or 距离; 间隔 is for physical/temporal spacing)

Origin & History

Composed of 间 (between) + 隔 (to separate). Together they describe the space or time that separates things.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal