Definition
开庭 (kāi tíng) is a legal term meaning 'to begin a court session' or 'to open a trial' — it refers to the formal start of a judicial proceeding. It is a verb-object compound (离合词) that can be split, e.g., 开了庭 'the court session has begun'. Unlike 开始 (kāishǐ), which is a general 'start', 开庭 is specific to courtroom contexts.
verb
to begin a court sessionto open a trial
Examples
- 开庭。Fǎyuàn juédìng xià zhōusān kāi tíng.The court decided to open the trial next Wednesday.
- 开庭，。kāi tíng de shíhou, lǜshī hé bèigào dōu yào chūxí.When the court session begins, both the lawyer and the defendant must be present.
- 开庭，。kāi tíng zhīhòu, shuāngfāng jìnxíng biànlùn.After the court session begins, both sides hold a debate.
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