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揭 (jiē) — to take the lid off; to uncover; to expose; to unmask

Definition

揭 (jiē) is the base verb in 揭露/揭发 for 'expose, unmask' (wrongdoing, truth). Unlike 暴露 or 曝光, it always pairs with a complement (揭开, 揭穿, 揭发) and is never used alone for physical exposure.

verb
to take the lid offto uncoverto exposeto unmask
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā jiē kāi le xiāng zi, fā xiàn lǐ miàn yǒu hěn duō qián.
    He opened the box and found a lot of money inside.
  • 。
    Jì zhě jiē lù le gōng sī nèi bù de fǔ bài wèn tí.
    The reporter exposed the corruption inside the company.
  • 。
    Tā jiē chuān le piàn zi de zhēn miàn mù.
    He exposed the true face of the swindler.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
曷
曷hé揭jiē
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

揭 pairs 扌, the hand radical (full form 手), with 曷, which supplies the sound; the hand part fits meanings like lifting or taking off.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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