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开路 (kāi lù) — to open a way, to clear a path; to pioneer, to blaze a trail; (electrical) to open a circuit

Definition

Literally 'open a road' — means to clear or pioneer a path, either physically (workers cutting through terrain) or figuratively (research/work that paves the way for others).

verb
to open a wayto clear a pathto pioneerto blaze a trail(electrical) to open a circuit

Examples

  • 开路。
    Gōng rén yòng jī qì kāi lù.
    Workers use machines to clear a path.
  • 。
    Tā men zài shān lǐ kāi le yì tiáo lù.
    They opened a path in the mountains.
  • 开路。
    Tā de yán jiū wèi wǒ men kāi lù.
    His research paved the way for us.

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
路lùroad

开 means open and 路 means road, so the word means to open a road or lead the way.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
足足zú
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè路lù
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

路 combines 足, a foot, with 各, which supplies the sound.

Open 路 →
Appears in
Roads & Traffic

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