离开/離開 líkāi — to leave, to depart from

Meanings

1. 1

   to leave, to depart from

   To go away from a place or a person. It takes the place left behind as a direct object — 离开北京, 离开家 — where plain 离 states a distance instead: 离学校很远.

   verb

Character breakdown

• 开/開

  kāi (first tone, high and level)

  to open; to turn on, to switch on; to start, to begin; to drive (a vehicle); to hold (a meeting)

  4 strokesRadical 廾

Example sentences

• 他昨天离开了北京。/他昨天離開了北京。Tā (first tone, high and level) zuótiān (second tone, rising) líkāile (second tone, rising) Běijīng. (third tone, dipping)···

  He left Beijing yesterday.

• 请别离开这儿，我马上回来。/請別離開這兒，我馬上回來。Qǐng (third tone, dipping) bié (second tone, rising) líkāi (second tone, rising) zhèr, (fourth tone, falling) wǒ (third tone, dipping) mǎshàng (third tone, dipping) huílai. (second tone, rising)···

  Please don’t leave — I’ll be right back.

Common mistakes

• Not quite我的家离开学校很远。

  Correct我家离学校很远。

  离 and 离开 are not interchangeable. 离 measures a gap between two fixed points; 离开 is the act of going away. A distance always takes plain 离.

Similar words

Words containing 开

• 开/開kāi (first tone, high and level)to open
• 开始/開始kāishǐ (first tone, high and level)to begin, to start