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开发 (kāi fā) — to develop (land, resources, etc.); to develop (a product, software, project)

Definition

开发 (kāifā) means to 'develop' something new — land, products, software. Distinct from 发展 ('grow, expand' over time) and from 开采 (kāicǎi), which is specifically mining/extracting resources.

verb
to develop (land, resources, etc.)to develop (a product, software, project)

Examples

  • 开发。
    Zhèng fǔ zhèng zài kāi fā zhè piàn tǔ dì.
    The government is developing this land.
  • 开发。
    Tā men kāi fā le yí gè xīn wǎng zhàn.
    They developed a new website.
  • 开发。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī zhèng zài kāi fā yì zhǒng xīn yào.
    This company is developing a new medicine.

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 up
发fādevelop

开 means open up, and 发 means develop, together giving to develop.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Technology & Engineering

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