开赛 (kāi sài) — to start a match, to begin a competition

Definition

开赛 (kāi sài) means 'a match/competition begins or opens' — used as a verb or set phrase for the official start of a sporting event, distinct from 开始 (general 'begin').

verb

to start a matchto begin a competition

Examples

2024开赛。
2024 Nián ào yùn huì jiāng zài bā lí kāi sài.
The 2024 Olympics will open in Paris.
，。
Tā men kāi le sān chǎng sài, quán yíng le.
They played three matches and won them all.
开赛，。
Bǐ sài mǎ shàng kāi sài, qǐng zuò hǎo zhǔn bèi.
The competition is about to begin; please get ready.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

开kāistart

赛sàimatch

开 (start) and 赛 (match) mean to start a match.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 賽; 赛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

貝貝bèishell

Sound part声符shēngfú

塞

塞sāi賽sài

Same sound today

The traditional form 賽 uses 貝 (shell) for meaning and 塞 for sound. The simplified 赛 is a later shorthand.

Open 赛 →

Appears in