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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'shutting down' with 关门 (guān mén)

    Actions & Events

    Structure

    关 + 门 / 政府 + 关门 / 防止 + 关门

    Explanation

    The separable verb 关门 (guān mén) literally means 'to close a door' but is extended to mean 'to shut down' or 'to close operations.' In political contexts, 政府关门 refers to a government shutdown. Because it is a separable verb, other elements can be inserted between 关 and 门.

    Examples

    • 那家书店上个月关门了，挺可惜的。

      nà jiā shūdiàn shàng ge yuè guānmén le, tǐng kěxī de.

      That bookstore closed last month, which is quite a pity.

    • 政府关门对公务员的生活影响很大。

      zhèngfǔ guānmén duì gōngwùyuán de shēnghuó yǐngxiǎng hěn dà.

      A government shutdown has a big impact on the lives of civil servants.

    • 这家店每天晚上十点关门。

      zhè jiā diàn měi tiān wǎnshang shí diǎn guānmén.

      This store closes at ten o'clock every night.

    Expressing 'shutting down' with 关门 (guān mén) | Chinese Grammar