散开 (sàn kāi) — to disperse; to scatter (of a group of people or things that were gathered)

Definition

A separable verb meaning a gathered group spreads outward in different directions — people, students, smoke. Use 散 (sàn) for the verb 'to disperse/scatter', not the pronunciation sǎn ('loose').

verb
to disperseto scatter (of a group of people or things that were gathered)

Examples

  • 散开。
    Rén qún hěn kuài sàn kāi le.
    The crowd quickly dispersed.
  • 散开。
    Tóng xué men zài cāo chǎng sàn kāi le.
    The students scattered on the playground.
  • 散开。
    Yān wù màn màn sàn kāi le.
    The smoke slowly dispersed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

散sàndisperse
开kāiapart

散 disperse and 开 apart combine to mean scatter or disperse.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 林林líntrees, forest
  • 攴攴pūto knock, to tap

散 combines 林 (trees or forest) and 攴 (to knock or tap), originally showing knocking to clear vegetation, later extended to breaking up or dispersing.

Open 散 →

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 →

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