Short answer. Dissolution is simply a change in the relationship among the partners, caused by any partner ceasing to be associated in carrying on the business. Article 1828 distinguishes this from winding up, meaning dissolution is not the end of the partnership itself, only the point where the ongoing business relation changes.
What the law says
The dissolution of a partnership is the change in the relation of the partners caused by any partner ceasing to be associated in the carrying on as distinguished from the winding up of the business.
Civil Code, Article 1828 — Dissolution Defined. Read the full provision →
Dissolution is a change in relationship, not an ending
Article 1828 defines dissolution narrowly and precisely: the dissolution of a partnership is the change in the relation of the partners caused by any partner ceasing to be associated in the carrying on as distinguished from the winding up of the business. Notice what this definition does not say. It does not say dissolution is the termination of the partnership, or the end of its existence. It describes a change in the relationship among the partners, triggered by one of them no longer being associated with carrying on the business going forward.
Any partner leaving can trigger it
The trigger the article describes is broad: any partner ceasing to be associated in carrying on the business. This can happen for many reasons, a partner withdrawing, dying, or otherwise no longer being part of running the business going forward. Whatever the specific cause, once a partner is no longer associated with carrying on the business in the way the partnership originally contemplated, the relationship among the remaining and departing partners has changed, and that changed relationship is what the law calls dissolution.
Carrying on versus winding up: the key distinction
The article draws its definition specifically "as distinguished from the winding up of the business." Carrying on the business means the ordinary, ongoing operations the partnership was formed to pursue. Winding up is a separate phase, the process of settling the partnership's affairs after dissolution, rather than continuing to conduct new business as before. By defining dissolution against this contrast, the article signals that dissolution and winding up are two different concepts occupying two different points in the partnership's life, not one and the same event.
So is the partnership immediately over?
Because Article 1828 defines dissolution as a change in relation rather than a termination, dissolution by itself does not mean the partnership instantly ceases to exist for every purpose. The partnership continues, at least for the purpose of winding up its affairs, even after it has dissolved. Practically, this means the moment a partner exits and dissolution occurs is the start of a transition, the shift from ordinary business into winding up, rather than the single moment everything about the partnership simply stops.