扒开 (bā kāi) — to pull apart, to push aside (with hands or fingers); to open up (a covered or closed area)

Definition

扒开 (bā kāi) means to pull or push something apart with the hands to expose what's underneath or behind — not tearing it. 拉开 is more neutral, often for opening things like curtains.

verb
to pull apartto push aside (with hands or fingers)to open up (a covered or closed area)

Examples

  • 扒开，。
    Tā bā kāi cǎo cóng, fā xiàn le yì zhī xiǎo tù zi.
    He pushed aside the grass and found a little rabbit.
  • 扒开，。
    Yī shēng qīng qīng de bā kāi shāng kǒu, jiǎn chá huī fù qíng kuàng.
    The doctor gently pulled open the wound to check the healing.
  • 扒开，。
    Tā bā kāi chuāng lián, kàn le kàn wài miàn de tiān qì.
    She pulled open the curtains and looked at the weather outside.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

扒bāpull apart
开kāiopen

扒 expresses pulling apart, and 开 shows it becomes open.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
八
八bā扒bā
Same sound today

扒 contains 手, a hand, showing an action done with the hand, and 八, which gives the sound.

Open 扒 →

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 →

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