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开会 (kāi huì) — to have a meeting; to hold a meeting; to attend a meeting

Definition

Everyday verb meaning 'to have/attend a meeting.' 举行 is the more formal written equivalent for organizing events; 召开 is even more formal, used for official conferences.

verb
to have a meetingto hold a meetingto attend a meeting

Examples

  • 开会。
    Tā men měi tiān kāi huì.
    They have a meeting every day.
  • 。
    Wǒ men shàng zhōu kāi le sān gè huì.
    We had three meetings last week.
  • 开会？
    Nǐ shén me shí hou kāi huì?
    When are you having a meeting?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

开kāihold
会huìmeeting

开 means to hold or open and 会 means meeting; together they describe holding a meeting.

Characters in this word

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 →

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 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3Workplace & Office5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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