Definition
开刀 is a separable verb (离合词). Its two main uses are: 1) the literal medical sense 'to undergo or perform surgery' — you can separate it as 开了一次刀 ('had an operation once') or 开刀手术 ('surgery operation'); 2) a figurative sense meaning 'to make someone the first target of attack or punishment' in the expression 拿...开刀。The word can also mean 'to fire/dismiss' in workplace slang, but that overlaps with the figurative attack meaning. When separating, the first character 开 takes aspect markers and the second 刀 stays as a noun.
v.o.
to have or perform surgeryto make someone the first target of attack or punishment (in 拿...开刀)
Examples
- 开刀。Tā xià zhōu yào kāi dāo zuò xīnzàng shǒushù.He is going to have heart surgery next week.
- ，。Yīshēng gěi tā kāi le yí cì dāo, xiànzài hǎo duō le.The doctor performed an operation on him, and now he's much better.
- 开刀，。Gōngsī xiān ná xīn lái de yuángōng kāi dāo, dàjiā dōu hěn jǐnzhāng.The company first made the new employee the target, and everyone was nervous.
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