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裂口 (liè kǒu) — (verb, separable) to crack open, to split; (noun) a crack, gap, or split in a surface; also a wound or vent

Definition

裂口 (lièkǒu) is a separable verb–noun pair meaning 'to crack open / a crack'. The verb splits as 裂…口 (e.g. 墙裂了一个口); the noun covers surface cracks, gaps, wounds, and volcanic vents.

verb
(verb, separable) to crack opento split
noun
a crackgapor split in a surfacealso a wound or vent
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 。
    Qiáng liè le yí gè kǒu.
    The wall cracked open.
  • 裂口。
    Dì shàng yǒu yí gè liè kǒu.
    There is a crack on the ground.
  • 裂口。
    Tā shǒu shàng de liè kǒu yǐ jīng yù hé le.
    The wound on his hand has healed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

裂lièsplit
口kǒuopening

To 裂 a 口 is to split an opening, giving the sense of a crack or gap.

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
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
列
列liè裂liè
Same sound today

裂 combines 衣 (clothes) with 列 for the sound. The picture of 列 shows bones cut by a blade and lined up, and the whole writes the idea of cutting and tearing clothes.

Open 裂 →

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →
Appears in
Injury & Disability

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