Chinese word

展开

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhǎn kāi

Meaning

  • verbunfold

Example

他把地图展开在桌子上。tā bǎ dì tú zhǎn kāi zài zhuō zi shàng

He unfolded the map on the table.

Illustration for 展开 (unfold)

More examples

会议上大家开始展开讨论。huì yì shàng dà jiā kāi shǐ zhǎn kāi tǎo lùn

At the meeting, everyone began discussing.

Core concept

A compact or contained thing moves outward into a wider, more visible form, space, or course of action.

Common phrases

  • 展开地图zhǎn kāi dì tú

    unfold a map

  • 展开讨论zhǎn kāi tǎo lùn

    discuss

  • 展开行动zhǎn kāi xíng dòng

    take action

Similar words

打开dǎ kāi: Open a closed door, lid, or similar object so people can pass through or see inside.
开始kāi shǐ: Begin an action or process and set it in motion.
开展kāi zhǎn: Carry out an official activity, project, or program in an organized way.
展示zhǎn shì: Display goods or materials by arranging them where people can see them.

Definition in Chinese

把折叠或收拢的东西铺开，使面积或范围增大；也指把事情、话题或行动由简到详或由准备到进行地展开。bǎ zhé dié huò shōu lǒng de dōng xī pù kāi shǐ miàn jī huò fàn wéi zēng dà yě zhǐ bǎ shì qíng huà tí huò xíng dòng yóu jiǎn dào xiáng huò yóu zhǔn bèi dào jìn xíng dì zhǎn kāi

Word origin

展开 (zhǎnkāi, "unfold") combines 展 (zhǎn, "stretch out") + 开 (kāi, "open"), linking physical spreading with the fuller development of a topic or activity.

Usage tips

  • The noun after this verb is a useful cue: a physical noun points to a spreading action, while an abstract noun points to a topic or activity developed in stages.

Other meanings

  • openverb
  • developverb
  • expandverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word