离开離開 líkāi — to leave, to depart from
líkāi (second tone, rising)li2kai1
Traditional: 離開
to leave, to depart from
HSK 3· HSK 1–6 (classic)Level 2· 2021 three-band, nine-level proficiency standardverb
Meanings
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
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
- 打开打開dǎ (third tone, dipping) kāi (first tone, high and level)to open
- 公开公開gōng (first tone, high and level) kāi (first tone, high and level)public
- 开车開車kāi (first tone, high and level) chē (first tone, high and level)to drive a car
- 开发開發kāi (first tone, high and level) fā (first tone, high and level)to exploit (a resource)
- 开放開放kāi (first tone, high and level) fàng (fourth tone, falling)to bloom
- 展开展開zhǎn (third tone, dipping) kāi (first tone, high and level)to unfold
- 分开分開fēn (first tone, high and level) kāi (first tone, high and level)to separate
- 开口開口kāi (first tone, high and level) kǒu (third tone, dipping)to open one's mouth
- 改革开放改革開放gǎi (third tone, dipping) gé (second tone, rising) kāi (first tone, high and level) fàng (fourth tone, falling)to reform and open to the outside world
- 开玩笑開玩笑kāi (first tone, high and level) wán (second tone, rising) xiào (fourth tone, falling)to play a joke
- 召开召開zhào (fourth tone, falling) kāi (first tone, high and level)to convene (a conference or meeting)
- 开会開會kāi (first tone, high and level) huì (fourth tone, falling)to hold a meeting
- 开通開通kāi (first tone, high and level) tōng (first tone, high and level)to open (a new road or railway line); to set up (a hotline); to launch (a service); to subscribe to (a members-only service)
- 开工開工kāi (first tone, high and level) gōng (first tone, high and level)to begin work (of a factory or engineering operation)
- 拉开拉開lā (first tone, high and level) kāi (first tone, high and level)to pull open