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张口 (zhāng kǒu) — (lit.) to open one's mouth; (fig.) to ask for help, a loan, or a favor; to speak up when requesting something

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning 'open one's mouth', used literally (to speak, yawn) or figuratively to ask for a loan or favor. Like other 离合词, it splits for aspect/negation: 张不开 (can't open), 张一次口 (one instance of asking).

verb
(lit.) to open one's mouth(fig.) to ask for helpa loanor a favorto speak up when requesting something

Examples

  • 。
    Tā téng dé zhāng bù kāi kǒu.
    He was in so much pain he couldn't open his mouth.
  • 张口，。
    Nǐ yǒu kùn nan jiù zhāng kǒu, wǒ huì bāng máng de.
    If you have trouble, just ask — I'll help.
  • 张口，。
    Bié bù hǎo yì si zhāng kǒu jiè qián, dà jiā dōu shì péng you.
    Don't be shy about asking to borrow money — we're all friends.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

张zhāngopen
口kǒumouth

张 open + 口 mouth gives open the mouth, extended to speaking up or asking.

Characters in this word

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 張; 张 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
弓弓gōngbow
Sound part声符shēngfú
長
長cháng張zhāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 張 combines 弓, a bow, with 長, which points to the sound; the simplified 张 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 张 →

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

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