Chinese word

撬

Pronunciation

Pinyinqiào

Meaning

  • verbpry open

Example

他用撬棍把门撬开了。tā yòng qiào gùn bǎ mén qiào kāi le

He pried the door open with a crowbar.

Illustration for 撬 (pry open)

More examples

警察用工具把保险箱撬开，取走了里面的证据。jǐng chá yòng gōng jù bǎ báo xiǎn xiāng qiào kāi qǔ zǒu le lǐ miàn de zhèng jù

The police used a tool to pry open the safe and took away the evidence inside.

Core concept

A hand or tool presses against a support point to lift something or force it apart.

Common phrases

  • 撬开箱子qiào kāi xiāng zi

    pry open a box

  • 撬开保险箱qiào kāi báo xiǎn xiāng

    pry open a safe

  • 撬开窗户qiào kāi chuāng hù

    pry open a window

Similar words

撬开qiào kāi: Use leverage to force something open and make an opening.
开锁kāi suǒ: Release a lock with a key or skill so the secured object opens.
撬动qiào dòng: Use a support point and force to shift an object a little.

Definition in Chinese

借助手或工具在缝隙处施力，利用支点撬起或撬开物件。jiè zhù shǒu huò gōng jù zài fèng xì chù shī lì lì yòng zhī diǎn qiào qǐ huò qiào kāi wù jiàn

Word origin

撬 (qiào, "pry open") developed from the physical idea of levering something upward, which explains its use for both lifting an object and forcing an opening.

Usage tips

  • This verb describes the method rather than the result, so context determines whether the object opens cleanly, gets damaged, or is handled as part of authorized work.

Other meanings

  • pryverb
  • lever upverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 撬棍qiào gùncrowbarnoun

Word lists with this word