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滚开 (gǔn kāi) — (resultative verb) to come to a boil (of water, etc.); (imperative, colloquial) get lost! scram!

Definition

滚开 is two very different uses of one verb: 'boil' (water, liquid) as a resultative verb, and an impolite imperative 'get lost / scram' when used alone as a command. Both are colloquial, spoken Chinese.

verb
(resultative verb) to come to a boil (of water, etc.)(imperative, colloquial) get lost! scram!

Examples

  • 滚开，。
    Shuǐ yǐ jīng gǔn kāi le, kě yǐ pào chá le.
    The water has already boiled, so you can make tea.
  • 滚开，！
    Nǐ kuài diǎn gǔn kāi, wǒ bù xiǎng zài kàn dào nǐ!
    You'd better scram—I don't want to see you again!
  • “滚开”。
    Tā duì wǒ shuō le shēng "gǔn kāi" jiù tóu yě bù huí dì zǒu le.
    He said 'Get lost' to me and walked away without looking back.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

滚gǔnroll/boil
开kāiopen/away

滚 means roll or boil and 开 means open or away; together they describe water coming to a boil or someone moving away.

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 滾; 滚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
袞
袞gǔn滾gǔn
Same sound today

The traditional form 滾 pairs 水 (water) with 袞, which supplies the pronunciation. The simplified 滚 is a shorthand, and its right side is not the historical 袞.

Open 滚 →

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 →
Appears in
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