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开怀 (kāi huái) — to one's heart's content; freely and joyfully (used before verbs like 笑, 唱, 喝)

Definition

开怀 (kāihuái) means 'to one's heart's content' — used before verbs like 笑, 唱, 喝 to describe joyful, unrestrained action. It is more literary than the everyday 尽情.

verb
to one's heart's contentfreely and joyfully (used before verbs like 笑, 唱, 喝)

Examples

  • ，。
    Tīng dào zhè ge hǎo xiāo xi, tā rěn bú zhù kāi huái dà xiào.
    Hearing this good news, he couldn't help but laugh heartily.
  • ，开怀，。
    Péng you men jù zài yì qǐ, kāi huái chàng yǐn, shí fēn kāi xīn.
    Friends gathered together, drinking joyfully to their heart's content, very happy.
  • 开怀，。
    Tā zài wǔ tái shàng kāi huái gē chàng, yíng dé le guān zhòng de zhǎng shēng.
    She sang freely on stage, winning the audience's applause.

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
怀huáiheart/bosom

“开” means open and “怀” is the heart/bosom; opening the heart yields a carefree feeling.

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 懷; 怀 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
褱
褱huái懷huái
Same sound today

The traditional form 懷 uses 心 (heart) to show longing and 褱 for the sound; the simplified 怀 is a later shorthand.

Open 怀 →
Appears in
Emotions & Feelings

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