松开 (sōng kāi) — to loosen, to untie, to release

Definition

verb
to loosento untieto release

Examples

  • 松开。
    Qǐng sōng kāi shéng zi.
    Please loosen the rope.
  • 松开。
    Tā màn màn sōng kāi le shǒu.
    He slowly released his hand.
  • 松开。
    Bú yào sōng kāi nà ge àn niǔ.
    Don't release that button.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

松sōngloosen
开kāiopen

松 means loosen, and 开 shows the result of becoming open or free.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
公
公gōng松sōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

松 uses 木 (wood) to show it is a tree, and 公 to give the sound.

Open 松 →

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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