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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'to open the door' with 开门 (kāimén)

    Actions & Events
    Direction & Movement

    Structure

    打开 + 门

    Explanation

    The verb-object compound 开门 (kāimén) means 'to open the door' and is a common everyday expression. Since 开门 is a separable verb-object compound, other elements like 了 or 着 can be inserted between 开 and 门. It can also be used figuratively to mean 'to open up' or 'to start business.'

    Examples

    • 有人敲门，你去开门吧。

      yǒu rén qiāo mén, nǐ qù kāi mén ba.

      Someone is knocking at the door; go open it.

    • 这家店每天早上八点开门。

      zhè jiā diàn měitiān zǎoshang bā diǎn kāimén.

      This store opens at eight o'clock every morning.

    • 她把门开了一条缝，往外看了看。

      tā bǎ mén kāi le yì tiáo fèng, wǎng wài kàn le kàn.

      She opened the door a crack and peeked outside.

    Expressing 'to open the door' with 开门 (kāimén) | Chinese Grammar