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出发 (chū fā) — to set off, to depart, to start a journey

Definition

出发 means to set off or depart, focused on the start of a journey. Unlike 离开 (which just means leaving a place), 出发 emphasizes heading toward a destination, and is more everyday than the written 启程/起程.

verb
to set offto departto start a journey

Examples

  • 出发？
    Huǒ chē chū fā le méi yǒu?
    Has the train departed?
  • 出发。
    Tā men cóng běi jīng chū fā qù shàng hǎi.
    They set off from Beijing to go to Shanghai.
  • 出发。
    Wǒ men chū fā de shí hou tiān hái méi liàng.
    It wasn't yet light when we set off.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

出chūgo out
发fādepart; send out

出 and 发 both mean to go or depart, so together they mean to set off.

Characters in this word

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

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →
Appears in
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