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不可开交 (bù kě kāi jiāo) — (as a complement) extremely, awfully (used after 得 to indicate being overwhelmed by an action or state)

Definition

不可开交 is a set-phrase complement meaning 'extremely, to the point of no end' — only used after 得 (e.g. 忙得不可开交, 吵得不可开交), never on its own. It emphasizes an action that has spiraled out of control.

verb
(as a complement) extremelyawfully (used after 得 to indicate being overwhelmed by an action or state)

Examples

  • ，不可开交。
    Zuì jìn gōng sī xiàng mù hěn duō, dà jiā dōu máng de bù kě kāi jiāo.
    The company has a lot of projects lately, and everyone is extremely busy.
  • 不可开交。
    Tā men liǎ wèi le yì diǎn xiǎo shì chǎo dé bù kě kāi jiāo.
    The two of them are arguing endlessly over a trivial matter.
  • 不可开交，。
    Zhōu mò de chāo shì jǐ dé bù kě kāi jiāo, lián zǒu lù dōu kùn nan.
    The supermarket on weekends is so crowded that even walking is difficult.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 開; 开 is its simplified writing.

  • 門門méndoor
  • 一一yīlatch and/or wooden pole that shuts a door
  • 廾廾gǒnga pair of hands

The traditional form 開 shows 廾, a pair of hands, and 一, a latch or pole, inside 門, a door: hands opening a latched door. The simplified 开 is a shorthand form, so its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 开 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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