裂く

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 裂く, read さく, is a transitive verb meaning to tear material apart or figuratively split a relationship.
• Basic usage: It applies to tearing old cloth into strips and to a baseless rumor driving two people apart.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Tearing cloth and splitting a relationship
  • It can mean physically tearing cloth into strips or figuratively driving two people apart through a rumor. Both uses are transitive and change an object.