开放 (kāi fàng) — (verb) to bloom, to open (of flowers); (verb) t…

Definition

For flowers blooming, prefer the everyday 开花 (kāi huā); 开放 is more common for opening to the public or to the world. As an adjective for attitude, it means open-minded and unrestrained — broader than 开明 (enlightened, reform-minded).

verb

to bloomto open (of flowers)to open (to the public, to the outside world)to open up

adjective

open-mindedliberalunrestrained (in attitude or lifestyle)

Examples

，开放。
Chūn tiān lái le, táo huā dōu kāi fàng le.
Spring has come, and the peach blossoms have all opened.
开放。
Zhè ge chéng shì kāi fàng le xīn de lǚ yóu qū.
This city has opened a new tourist area.
开放，。
Tā de sī xiǎng hěn kāi fàng, néng jiē shòu xīn shì wù.
He is very open-minded and can accept new things.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

开kāiopen

放fàngrelease

开 means to open and 放 means to release; together they describe making something accessible or letting it expand freely.

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.

門一廾開

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.

方攵放

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action

Sound part声符shēngfú

方

方fāng放fàng

Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Open 放 →

Appears in