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关门大吉 (guān mén dà jí) — (idiom) to close down for good (of a business, shop, etc.)

Definition

A colloquial, slightly humorous idiom for a business shutting down permanently — 'close up shop for good.' Often used to describe a failed business; note 大吉 here is ironic, not its usual 'great luck' meaning.

idiom
to close down for good (of a business, shop, etc.)

Examples

  • ，关门大吉。
    Zhè jiā cān tīng shēng yì bù hǎo, zhōng yú guān mén dà jí le.
    This restaurant had bad business and finally closed down for good.
  • ，关门大吉。
    Zì cóng chāo shì bān zǒu hòu, nà tiáo jiē hǎo jǐ jiā diàn dōu guān mén dà jí le.
    Ever since the supermarket moved away, several shops on that street have shut down permanently.
  • 关门大吉。
    Lǎo bǎn shuō xià ge yuè gōng sī jiù yào guān mén dà jí le.
    The boss says the company will close down for good next month.

Origin

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →

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.

Open 门 →

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

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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

In the earliest forms, 吉 was drawn with a mouth-like lower part and an upper part that later became today's upper shape.

Open 吉 →
Appears in
Business & CommerceIdioms & Set Phrases

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