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避开 (bì kāi) — to avoid; to dodge; to steer clear of

Definition

避开 is a concrete, physical 'avoid/dodge' — get out of the way of something (a person, obstacle, topic) actively. Stronger than simple 避免, which is abstract and often written.

verb
to avoidto dodgeto steer clear of

Examples

  • 避开。
    Tā qiǎo miào dì bì kāi le nà ge wèn tí.
    He skillfully avoided that question.
  • 避开。
    Kāi chē shí yào bì kāi xíng rén.
    You should avoid pedestrians when driving.
  • 避开，。
    Wèi le bì kāi jiāo tōng dǔ sè, wǒ men tí qián chū fā le.
    To avoid traffic jams, we set off early.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

避bìavoid
开kāiaway

避 means avoid and 开 means away, so the word describes moving clear of something.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòto walk
Sound part声符shēngfú
辟
辟pì避bì
Same sound today

避 is built from 辶, a walking-related form, plus 辟, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 避 →

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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