Chinese Grammar Reference logo

    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing "to knock on the door" with 敲门 (qiāomén)

    Actions & Events

    Structure

    Subject + 敲门

    Explanation

    敲门 (qiāomén) means "to knock on the door," a common verb-object compound in Chinese. 敲 means "to knock" and 门 means "door." It can also be used more broadly, as 敲 can combine with other objects to mean knocking or striking something.

    Examples

    • 有人在敲门，你去看看是谁。

      Yǒu rén zài qiāo mén, nǐ qù kànkan shì shéi.

      Someone is knocking at the door — go see who it is.

    • 我敲了半天门，里面都没有人回应。

      Wǒ qiāo le bàntiān mén, lǐmiàn dōu méiyǒu rén huíyìng.

      I knocked on the door for a long time, but nobody inside responded.

    • 进办公室之前请先敲门。

      Jìn bàngōngshì zhīqián qǐng xiān qiāo mén.

      Please knock before entering the office.

    Expressing "to knock on the door" with 敲门 (qiāomén) | Chinese Grammar