HSK · Level 14
135 words
Chinese word
开口
Pronunciation
Pinyinkāi kǒu
Meaning
- verbspeak
Example
会议上没人敢先开口。huì yì shàng méi rén gǎn xiān kāi kǒu
No one at the meeting dared to speak first.
More examples
听到那句话，他不由得开口反驳。tīng dào nà jù huà tā bù yóu de kāi kǒu fǎn bó
Hearing that remark, he could not help speaking up to argue back.
Core concept
The mouth moves from silence into speech, often when reserve no longer holds it back.
Common phrases
不由得开口bù yóu de kāi kǒu
cannot help speaking
忍不住开口rěn bú zhù kāi kǒu
cannot help speaking
难以开口nán yǐ kāi kǒu
find it hard to speak
Similar words
说话shuō huà: Speak or talk by using words to communicate with someone.
发言fā yán: State an opinion or comment publicly at a meeting or other gathering.
出声chū shēng: Make a sound or utterance loud enough to be heard.
插嘴chā zuǐ: Interrupt someone who is speaking by adding one's own words.
Definition in Chinese
开始说话，尤指打破拘谨或不情愿而说出话来，有时引申为提出要求或意见。kāi shǐ shuō huà yóu zhǐ dǎ pò jū jǐn huò bù qíng yuàn ér shuō chū huà lái yǒu shí yǐn shēn wèi tí chū yāo qiú huò yì jiàn
Word origin
开 (kāi, "open") + 口 (kǒu, "mouth") combines "open" with "mouth," linking a visible physical action to the start of speaking and to putting a demand into words.
Usage tips
- English often uses speak for both a single utterance and an extended conversation, whereas this Chinese verb is a useful choice when the onset of speech itself is the relevant event.
Other meanings
- open one's mouthverb
Opposites
- 缄口jiān kǒukeep silentverb
Related words
- 开口价kāi kǒu jiàinitial asking pricenoun