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开办 (kāi bàn) — to open, to start, to set up (a business, institution, factory, etc.)

Definition

开办 means to found or establish an institution (a school, company, factory), focusing on the act of starting it from scratch. Pairs with 开设, which more often means opening a branch or course, and contrasts with 关闭 ('to close/shut down').

verb
to opento startto set up (a business, institution, factory, etc.)

Examples

  • 开办。
    Tā men jué dìng zài shì zhōng xīn kāi bàn yì jiā kā fēi guǎn.
    They decided to open a café in the city center.
  • 开办。
    Zhè suǒ dà xué shì shí nián qián kāi bàn de.
    This university was opened ten years ago.
  • 开办。
    Zhèng fǔ gǔ lì nián qīng rén kāi bàn xiǎo xíng qǐ yè.
    The government encourages young people to start small businesses.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

开kāiopen
办bànset up

开 means to start and 办 means to set up, so together they express starting or establishing something.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 辦; 办 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
辡
辡biàn辦bàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 辦 combines 力 (strength) with 辡, which gives the sound; the simplified 办 is a later shorthand.

Open 办 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Business & Commerce

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