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开胃 (kāi wèi) — (verb-object) to whet the appetite; appetizing; (dialectal, verb-object) to tease; to amuse oneself at someone's expense

Definition

A verb-object phrase literally meaning 'open the stomach' — used for food that stimulates appetite. The colloquial, jokey sense ('to tease someone at their expense') is unrelated and usually jocular.

verb
(verb-object) to whet the appetiteappetizing(dialectal, verb-object) to teaseto amuse oneself at someone's expense

Examples

  • 开胃。
    Zhè dào cài fēi cháng kāi wèi.
    This dish is very appetizing.
  • 。
    Xiān chī yì diǎn shuǐ guǒ kāi gè wèi ba.
    Eat some fruit first to whet your appetite.
  • 。
    Tā zǒng xǐ huan kāi bié rén de wèi.
    He always likes to tease others.

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
胃wèistomach

开 means open and 胃 means stomach, so it is opening the stomach, i.e. making one want to eat.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

胃 originally drew a stomach with food inside, first as concentric circles and later with a grain-like mark in the middle.

Open 胃 →
Appears in
Flavors & SeasoningsFood (General)

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