张口 (zhāng kǒu) — (lit.) to open one's mouth; (fig.) to ask for help, a loan, or a favor; to speak up when requesting something
Definition
A verb-object phrase meaning 'open one's mouth', used literally (to speak, yawn) or figuratively to ask for a loan or favor. Like other 离合词, it splits for aspect/negation: 张不开 (can't open), 张一次口 (one instance of asking).
verb
(lit.) to open one's mouth(fig.) to ask for helpa loanor a favorto speak up when requesting something
Examples
- 。Tā téng dé zhāng bù kāi kǒu.He was in so much pain he couldn't open his mouth.
- 张口，。Nǐ yǒu kùn nan jiù zhāng kǒu, wǒ huì bāng máng de.If you have trouble, just ask — I'll help.
- 张口，。Bié bù hǎo yì si zhāng kǒu jiè qián, dà jiā dōu shì péng you.Don't be shy about asking to borrow money — we're all friends.
Appears in
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