启 qǐ — to open; to start
新的学期就要开启了。Xīn de xué qī jiù yào kāi qǐ le.A new semester is about to begin.
Common words: 启动 (qǐ dòng)、启发 (qǐ fā)、启事 (qǐ shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to open"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to open", including 启 (qǐ), 睁 (zhēng), 披 (pī), 拆 (chāi), 撑 (chēng). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to open" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 启 (qǐ), 睁 (zhēng), 披 (pī), 拆 (chāi), 撑 (chēng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qǐ, zhēng, pī, chāi, chēng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 启 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 启 qǐto open; to startUseful words: 启动, 启发
- 睁 zhēngto open (eye)Useful words: 睁开, 睁眼
- 披 pīscatter; separate; to open; to unroll; to spread outUseful words: 披露, 披风
- 拆 chāito tear open; to tear down; to tear apart; to openUseful words: 拆除, 拆迁
- 撑 chēngsupport; prop-up; to pole a boat; to open; to overfillUseful words: 支撑, 撑开
Common words for these 5 "to open" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 启 (qǐ) — so "to open" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
启动qǐ dòngto start (a machine); (fig.) to set in motion; to launch (an operation); to activate (a plan)启发qǐ fāto enlighten; to explain (a text etc); to stimulate (a mental attitude); enlightenment启事qǐ shìannouncement (written, on billboard, letter, newspaper or website); to post information; a notice睁开zhēng kāito open (one's eyes)睁眼zhēng yǎnto open one's eyes眼睁睁yǎn zhēng zhēngto stare blankly; to look on helplessly; to look on unfeelingly披露pī lùto reveal; to publish; to make public; to announce披风pī fēngcloak; cape披红pī hóngto drape sb in red silk as a sign of honor拆除chāi chúto tear down; to demolish; to dismantle; to remove
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 5 ways to say "to open".
睁 zhēng — to open (eye)
早上醒来，他睁开眼睛看了看窗外。Zǎo shang xǐng lái, tā zhēng kāi yǎn jing kàn le kàn chuāng wài.Waking in the morning, he opened his eyes and looked out the window.
Common words: 睁开 (zhēng kāi)、睁眼 (zhēng yǎn)、眼睁睁 (yǎn zhēng zhēng)
披 pī — scatter; separate; to open; to unroll; to spread out
天冷了，他披上了一件厚外套。Tiān lěng le, tā pī shàng le yí jiàn hòu wài tào.It got cold, so he threw on a thick coat.
Common words: 披露 (pī lù)、披风 (pī fēng)、披红 (pī hóng)
拆 chāi — to tear open; to tear down; to tear apart; to open
工人们正在拆这座旧房子。Gōng rén men zhèng zài chāi zhè zuò jiù fáng zi.The workers are demolishing this old house.
Common words: 拆除 (chāi chú)、拆迁 (chāi qiān)、拆下 (chāi xià)
撑 chēng — support; prop-up; to pole a boat; to open; to overfill
下雨了，他撑起伞快步往家走。Xià yǔ le, tā chēng qǐ sǎn kuài bù wǎng jiā zǒu.It rained, and he put up his umbrella and walked quickly home.
Common words: 支撑 (zhī chēng)、撑开 (chēng kāi)、强撑 (qiǎng chēng)
All 5 characters
Open 启、睁、披 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.