敲门 (qiāo mén) — to knock on a door | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

敲门 is a separable verb (离合词): in aspect or with a number, 敲 and 门 split apart, as in 敲了三下门 ("knocked three times").

verb

to knock on a door

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

敲 gives the action, 门 is what is struck; together knock on a door.

Characters in this word

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

高攴敲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攴攴pūto hit lightly; to tap

Sound part声符shēngfú

高

高gāo敲qiāo

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

敲 combines 高, which supplies the sound, with 攴, meaning to hit lightly or tap.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 門; 门 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 門 pictures a gate as two door shapes side by side; the simplified 门 is a later shorthand.

Appears in