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开窍 (kāi qiào) — to have one's mind opened; to begin to understand; to catch on; to reach puberty; to become sexually aware

Definition

开窍 (kāi qiào) is to suddenly 'get it' — to have a breakthrough in understanding after confusion. It also refers to a child reaching puberty and becoming sexually aware.

verb
to have one's mind openedto begin to understandto catch onto reach pubertyto become sexually aware

Examples

  • 。
    Tā xué le hěn jiǔ zhōng yú kāi le yì diǎn r qiào.
    He studied for a long time and finally started to catch on a little.
  • ，。
    Tā gāng kāi shǐ xué xí de shí hou bù kāi kāi qiào, hòu lái màn màn cái míng bai le.
    He didn't get it at the start of his studies, but later he slowly figured it out.
  • 。
    Hái zi jìn rù qīng chūn qī hòu màn màn jiù kāi kāi qiào le.
    Kids start to become sexually aware as they enter puberty.

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
窍qiàoaperture

开 (open) and 窍 (aperture) combine to mean one's mind opens to understanding.

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 竅; 窍 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave
Sound part声符shēngfú
敫
敫jiǎo竅qiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 竅 combines 穴, meaning cave, with 敫 for the sound; the simplified 窍 is a shorthand.

Open 窍 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

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