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离开 (lí kāi) — to leave, to depart

Definition

离开 is a neutral 'to leave / depart' (a place, a person, or a job). 出发 emphasizes starting a journey; 告别 is a more formal 'to bid farewell'.

verb
to leaveto depart

Examples

  • 离开。
    Tā míng tiān lí kāi běi jīng.
    He will leave Beijing tomorrow.
  • 离开。
    Wǒ men lí kāi jiā ba.
    Let's leave home.
  • 离开。
    Huǒ chē lí kāi le chē zhàn.
    The train left the station.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

离lípart from
开kāiaway

“离” means to part from, and “开” adds the sense of moving away, giving the meaning to leave.

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 離; 离 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
离
离lí離lí
Same sound today

The traditional form 離 pairs 隹, a bird, with the sound part 离; the simplified 离 is a shorthand. This form first wrote a black-naped oriole, and the sound was borrowed for 'leave'.

Open 离 →

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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