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寻开心 (xún kāi xīn) — to make fun of, to tease (someone); to have fun, to amuse oneself

Definition

寻开心 (xún kāi xīn) is a colloquial verb meaning 'to tease someone' (拿/找某人寻开心) or 'to have fun / amuse oneself.' It pairs with 别拿我寻开心 ('stop teasing me') in everyday speech, not in formal writing.

verb
to make fun ofto tease (someone)to have funto amuse oneself

Examples

  • 寻开心，。
    Bié ná wǒ xún kāi xīn le, wǒ dōu bù hǎo yì si le.
    Stop making fun of me — I'm getting embarrassed.
  • ，。
    Tā zǒng xǐ huan xún bié rén de kāi xīn, dà jiā dōu yǒu diǎn fán tā.
    He always likes to make fun of others, and everyone is a bit annoyed with him.
  • OK，寻开心。
    Zhōu mò wǒ men jǐ gè péng you yì qǐ qù chàng kǎ lā OK, chún cuì shì xún kāi xīn.
    A few friends and I went to sing karaoke on the weekend, just for fun.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

寻xúnseek
开心open-heart happiness
开kāiopen心xīnheart
动宾Verb + object

寻 means seek, and 开心 literally open-heart happiness, together meaning seek fun.

Characters in this word

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

寻 is formed from 又 (hand) and 寸 (hand).

Open 寻 →

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.

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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