拉开 (lā kāi) — to pull open (a door, curtain, etc.); to draw back, to create distance (physical or figurative); to space out (over time)

Definition

A separable verb meaning 'to pull open' (a door, curtain) or 'to create distance/space' between things or events. The object goes between 拉 and 开, as in 拉开距离 or 把窗帘拉开.

verb
to pull open (a door, curtain, etc.)to draw backto create distance (physical or figurative)to space out (over time)

Examples

  • 拉开。
    Qǐng bǎ chuāng lián lā kāi.
    Please pull open the curtain.
  • 拉开。
    Tā men lā kāi le jù lí.
    They created some distance.
  • ？
    Zhè ge mén lā dé kāi ma?
    Can this door be pulled open?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

拉lāpull
开kāiopen

拉 (pull) and 开 (open) combine to mean pull something open or widen a gap.

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
立
立lì拉lā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

Open 拉 →

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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