<p>When they function as nouns to mean difference in the general sense, they are mostly interchangeable.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>这两个东西的差别/分别/区别在于……</p>
<p>The difference between these two thingies lies in…</p>
</blockquote>
<p>差别 seems to emphasize the difference itself, while 分别/区别 tend to indicate a desire to tell two different things apart (therefore the word &quot;difference&quot; in the title of your question should be translated into 区别). The above example sentence may have slightly different nuances depending on interpretation:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>这两个东西的差别是……</p>
<p>What is different in one than in the other is…</p>
<p>这两个东西的区别是……</p>
<p>What distinguishes one from the other is…</p>
</blockquote>
<p>BTW, although not in noun form, 差别对待/分别对待/区别对待 makes for an interesting comparison:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>差别对待</p>
<p>to treat discriminatorily</p>
<p>分别对待</p>
<p>to treat separately</p>
<p>区别对待</p>
<p>to treat discriminatively (not necessarily with discrimination)</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-22T04:07:47.253Z
2014-04-22T04:07:47.253Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
abcs
<p>差别 means literally difference (usually as a noun)</p>

<p>分别 and 区别 are interchangeable, meaning to sort out to get the difference (usually as a verb)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-21T12:01:20.530Z
2014-04-21T12:01:20.530Z
ChineseHulu.com
<p>All of them can mean difference. Are all of them interchangeable when used to mean 'difference?'</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-21T12:34:42.700Z
Do you have any context?
AGamePlayer
<word-choice><difference>
What is the difference between 差别, 分别, and 区别?
# What is the difference between 差别, 分别, and 区别?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-04-21)

All of them can mean difference. Are all of them interchangeable when used to mean 'difference?'

**Tags:** word-choice, difference

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Do you have any context?  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-04-22. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

When they function as nouns to mean difference in the general sense, they are mostly interchangeable.

> 这两个东西的差别/分别/区别在于……
>
> The difference between these two thingies lies in…

差别 seems to emphasize the difference itself, while 分别/区别 tend to indicate a desire to tell two different things apart (therefore the word "difference" in the title of your question should be translated into 区别). The above example sentence may have slightly different nuances depending on interpretation:

> 这两个东西的差别是……
>
> What is different in one than in the other is…
>
> 这两个东西的区别是……
>
> What distinguishes one from the other is…

BTW, although not in noun form, 差别对待/分别对待/区别对待 makes for an interesting comparison:

> 差别对待
>
> to treat discriminatorily
>
> 分别对待
>
> to treat separately
>
> 区别对待
>
> to treat discriminatively (not necessarily with discrimination)


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### Answer by username_3 on 2014-04-21. Score: 0

差别 means literally difference (usually as a noun)

分别 and 区别 are interchangeable, meaning to sort out to get the difference (usually as a verb)


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