开屏 (kāi píng) — (of a peacock) to spread its tail feathers

Definition

Refers specifically to a peacock fanning out and displaying its tail feathers. Used almost exclusively with 孔雀 as the subject.

verb
(of a peacock) to spread its tail feathers

Examples

  • 开屏。
    Kǒng què kāi píng de shí hou fēi cháng piào liang.
    When a peacock spreads its tail, it's very beautiful.
  • 。
    Wǒ zài dòng wù yuán jiàn guò kǒng què kāi guò píng.
    I've seen a peacock spread its tail at the zoo.
  • 开屏。
    Nà zhī kǒng què zhèng zài xiàng cí kǒng què kāi píng.
    That peacock is spreading its tail to the female peacock.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

开kāiopen
屏píngscreen

开 means to open, and 屏 is a screen-like tail, so the peacock opens its screen.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
并
并bìng屏bǐng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

屏 pairs 尸 with 并, which supplies the sound.

Open 屏 →

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