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开小差 (kāi xiǎo chāi) — (military) to desert one's post or unit; to be absentminded, to daydream, to have one's mind wander

Definition

An idiomatic verb meaning to daydream or zone out — the most common sense, as in 上课别开小差. The literal military sense ('desert one's post') is rare today and mostly historical.

verb
(military) to desert one's post or unitto be absentmindedto daydreamto have one's mind wander

Examples

  • 开小差。
    Shàng kè bié kāi xiǎo chāi.
    Don't daydream in class.
  • 。
    Tā gōng zuò de shí hou jīng cháng kāi xiǎo chāi.
    He often zones out at work.
  • ，。
    Wǒ gāng cái kāi le bàn xiǎo shí xiǎo chā, méi tīng qīng lǎo shī jiǎng shén me.
    I was daydreaming for half an hour just now and didn't hear what the teacher said.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

开kāitake
小差small errand
小xiǎosmall差chàerrand; duty
偏正Modifier + head

开 (take) with 小差 (a small errand) describes slipping away from duty or drifting in thought.

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 →

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

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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

  • 來來láiwheat
  • 𠂇𠂇𠂇left hand

差 pairs 來 (wheat) with 𠂇 (left hand), showing wheat rubbed in a hand to remove its hull.

Open 差 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseThinking & Cognition

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