v.
To unbolt and push apart a pair of closed gates. To open, start, turn on, drive, operate, or blossom.
开
Opening doors, initiating business, unlocking opportunities.
开 represents moving barriers aside so people can enter. For a shop, 开 means open for business.
Common Usage & Traps
- 还开吗 — is it still open for business?
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开一个饭店（当问此时是否营业时）饭店开着吗 / 还开吗开一个饭店 means starting an entire business venture.
Does 开 mean "open" or "turn on" or "drive"?
All three! The root metaphor is "to initiate or open up from a closed state".
Opening a door (开门), turning on lights (开灯), driving a car (开车), and business hours (开吗) all share this root.
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Follow Dazhong, a busy worker in China, as he finds warmth and kindness at a small noodle shop. Practice everyday words for food, weather, and expressing gratitude.
- Scene #1
他想：“十点了，太晚了，那个小饭店还 开 吗？”
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