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召开 (zhào kāi) — to convene (a meeting or conference), to summon a formal gathering

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'to convene / hold (a meeting)' — used for officially organized gatherings like conferences or parent meetings, more formal than 开会 ('hold a meeting' in general use). The event is usually planned and announced in advance.

verb
to convene (a meeting or conference)to summon a formal gathering

Examples

  • 召开。
    Xué xiào míng tiān zhào kāi jiā zhǎng huì.
    The school will hold a parent-teacher meeting tomorrow.
  • ，召开。
    Zhè ge huì yì hěn zhòng yào, yí dìng yào àn shí zhào kāi.
    This meeting is very important; it must be held on time.
  • 召开。
    Tā men jué dìng xià zhōu zhào kāi yí cì tǎo lùn huì.
    They decided to convene a discussion meeting next week.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

召zhàosummon
开kāiopen

The 召 idea of summoning and the 开 idea of opening combine to mean convene a meeting.

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
刀
刀dāo召zhào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape of 召 pairs 口 (mouth), for calling out, with 刀 (knife), which supplies the sound; it originally meant to call out or serve wine.

Open 召 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5Management

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