解
jiě
to divide
to break up; to split; to separate; to dissolve; to solve; to melt; to remove; to untie; to loosen; to open; to emancipate; to explain; to understand; to know; a solution; a dissection
horn (角) + knife (刀) + ox (牛) = cut apart and understand
The original image is a butcher using a knife to separate a horn from an ox — the act of careful dismemberment gives rise to all senses of splitting apart, untying, and ultimately understanding (to break a problem into its parts).
他花了很长时间才解开这个绳结。
tā huā le hěn cháng shí jiān cái jiě kāi zhè ge shéng jié。
He spent a very long time before finally untying this knot.
老师慢慢地解释，帮助学生理解这道难题。
lǎo shī màn màn de jiě shì，bāng zhù xué shēng lǐ jiě zhè dào nán tí。
The teacher explained slowly, helping the students understand this difficult problem.
Words with 解
善解人意
shàn jiě rén yì
to be good at understanding others (idiom)
慷慨解囊
kāng kǎi jiě náng
to contribute generously (idiom); help sb generously with money
电解
diàn jiě
electrolysis
巴解组织
bā jiě zǔ zhī
abbr. for 巴勒斯坦解放組織|巴勒斯坦解放组织[Ba1 le4 si1 tan3 Jie3 fang4 Zu3 zhi1]
解开
jiě kāi
to untie
解剖
jiě pōu
to dissect (an animal)
解围
jiě wéi
to lift a siege
解放后
jiě fàng hòu
after liberation (i.e. after the Communist's victory)
解散
jiě sàn
to dissolve
解脱
jiě tuō
to untie
见解
jiàn jiě
opinion
方解石
fāng jiě shí
calcite (CaCO3 as rock-forming mineral)