岔

chà

HSK 7

岔 — chà

1. fork in a road; bifurcation; branch of a road, river, or mountain range

   前面路有一处岔，左边通向村子。 qiánmiàn lù yǒu yīchù chà zuǒbiān tōngxiàng cūnzi — There is a fork in the road ahead; the left path leads to the village.

2. to branch off; to turn off; to diverge

   这条小路在山腰处岔向东边。 zhètiáo xiǎolù zài shānyāochù chà xiàng dōngbiān — This path branches off to the east halfway up the mountain.

3. to change the subject; to interrupt; (also) to stagger (times)

   他说话突然岔开了话题，没人听懂他在说什么。 tā shuōhuà tūrán chàkāi le huàtí méirén tīngdǒng tā zài shuō shénme — He suddenly changed the subject mid-sentence; no one understood what he was talking about.