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开动 (kāi dòng) — to start (a machine, engine, vehicle); (colloquial) to start eating; to dig in

Definition

开动 (kāidòng) means 'to start' a machine or engine, like 启动, but also colloquially means 'to dig in' and start eating. 发动 adds a sense of mobilizing people or launching a campaign.

verb
to start (a machine, engine, vehicle)(colloquial) to start eatingto dig in

Examples

  • 开动。
    Gōng rén kāi dòng le zhè tái jī qì.
    The worker started this machine.
  • ，开动！
    Cài dōu lái le, dà jiā kāi dòng ba!
    The dishes are all here, everyone dig in!
  • 开动，。
    Jūn duì kāi dòng le, xiàng nán fāng qián jìn.
    The army started moving and marched southward.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

开kāistart
动dòngmove

开 means to start, and 动 means to move, so it means to make something start moving.

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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