开放式 (kāi fàng shì) — open-style; open-plan; open-ended (used as a no…

Definition

Used before a noun as a modifier meaning 'open-style' (e.g. 开放式厨房 'open kitchen') or 'open-ended' (a question with no fixed answer).

noun

open-styleopen-planopen-ended (used as a noun or modifier)

Examples

开放式。
Zhè ge kāi fàng shì chú fáng ràng kè tīng xiǎn de gèng dà.
This open kitchen makes the living room look bigger.
开放式，。
Gōng sī cǎi yòng le kāi fàng shì bàn gōng shì, yuán gōng jiāo liú gèng fāng biàn.
The company adopted an open-plan office, making employee communication more convenient.
开放式，。
Kǎo shì zhōng yǒu yí dào kāi fàng shì wèn tí, xū yào zì yóu fā huī.
There was an open-ended question in the exam that required free expression.

Origin

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

开放open

开kāiopen放fàngrelease

联合Coordinate

式shìstyle/form

开放 means open and 式 means style/form; together they give an open style.

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.

門一廾開

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.

方攵放

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action

Sound part声符shēngfú

方

方fāng放fàng

Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Open 放 →

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