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开幕 (kāi mù) — to open (a conference, exhibition, festival, etc.); to inaugurate

Definition

Used for the formal start of an event, conference, exhibition, or sports meet. Pair with 闭幕 to mark the end; 开场 focuses on a performance beginning.

verb
to open (a conference, exhibition, festival, etc.)to inaugurate

Examples

  • 开幕。
    Huì yì zài shàng wǔ jiǔ diǎn kāi mù le.
    The conference opened at 9 am.
  • 开幕。
    Zhǎn lǎn huì míng tiān kāi mù.
    The exhibition opens tomorrow.
  • 开幕。
    Yùn dòng huì xià zhōu kāi mù.
    The sports meet opens next week.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

开kāiopen
幕mùcurtain

开 means to open and 幕 means curtain; together they describe opening the curtain of an event.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
巾巾jīncloth
Sound part声符shēngfú
莫
莫mò幕mù
Same sound today

幕 combines 莫 above 巾 (cloth); 莫 gives the sound.

Open 幕 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Change & Process

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