Chinese word

拉开

Pronunciation

Pinyinlā kāi

Meaning

  • verbpull open

Example

请把窗帘拉开。qǐng bǎ chuāng lián lā kāi

Please pull the curtains open.

Illustration for 拉开 (pull open)

More examples

他把抽屉拉开，里面有一封信。tā bǎ chōu tì lā kāi lǐ miàn yǒu yì fēng xìn

He pulled the drawer open, and there was a letter inside.

Core concept

A pulling motion moves a covering or joined part away until an opening or gap appears.

Common phrases

  • 拉开窗帘lā kāi chuāng lián

    pull open the curtains

  • 拉开距离lā kāi jù lí

    increase the distance

Similar words

打开dǎ kāi: Open a lid, door, or cover so the inside or a passage becomes accessible.
推开tuī kāi: Push an object or person aside or farther in to clear a blocked space.
移开yí kāi: Move an object away from its original place to keep it from getting in the way.

Definition in Chinese

用手把遮挡物或物体的一部分向两侧或向外拉，使之打开、露出或分离。yòng shóu bǎ zhē dǎng wù huò wù tǐ de yí bù fèn xiàng liǎng cè huò xiàng wài lā shǐ zhī dǎ kāi lù chū huò fēn lí

Word origin

拉 (lā, "pull") + 开 (kāi, "open") forms a verb in which pulling produces an opening or separation.

Usage tips

  • In English, open can describe a curtain without naming the movement, whereas this Chinese verb highlights the pulling action.

Other meanings

  • pull apartverb
  • spread outverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word