解开 meaning in English

jiěkāi

to untie; to undo

HSK 3Traditional 解開17 strokes

Meaning of 解开

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

jiěkāi

to untie
to undo
to solve (a mystery)

How to use 解开

解开 is used for physical things like knots, buttons, belts and shoelaces, and also for abstract things like mysteries, puzzles or problems in your heart. Example: 他解开了鞋带。(Tā jiěkāi le xiédài.) He untied his shoelaces.

解 (jiě) is made of 角 (horn), 刀 (knife) and 牛 (ox), so picture cutting apart an ox. Add 开 (kāi, open) and you get loosening something until it comes open.

Common mistake: Learners often use 打开 (dǎkāi) for knots or buttons, but 打开 means to open a door, box or app, while 解开 means to undo something tied or fastened. Also keep 解 in the third tone, jiě, not jiè.

解开 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

汤tāng姆mǔ解jiě开kāi了le丝sī带dài。

Tom untied the ribbon.

她tā们men解jiě开kāi了le马mǎ尾yǐ。

They untied their ponytails.

汤tāng姆mǔ解jiě开kāi了le马mǎ尾yǐ。

Tom untied his ponytail.

你nǐ能néng解jiě开kāi这zhè个ge谜mí吗ma？

Can you solve this puzzle?

你nǐ解jiě开kāi谜mí团tuán了le吗ma？

Have you worked the puzzle out?

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

解 jiě · to divide · 13 strokes

开 kāi · to open · 4 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 解开.

打开	dǎkāi	to open; to show (a ticket)
开玩笑	kāi wánxiào	to play a joke; to make fun of; to joke
开车	kāichē	to drive a car (or train etc); (slang) to post sexual content online; to make a sexual jok
开会	kāihuì	to hold or attend a meeting
离开	líkāi	to depart; to leave
开心	kāixīn	to feel happy; to rejoice
走开	zǒukāi	to leave; to walk away; to beat it; to move aside
分开	fēnkāi	to separate; to part
开学	kāixué	(of a student) to start school; (of a semester) to begin
开机	kāijī	to start an engine; to boot up (a computer)
开始	kāishǐ	to begin; to start; beginning; start
理解	lǐjiě	to comprehend; to understand

Questions about 解开

What does 解开 mean?

解开 (jiěkāi) means "to untie; to undo".

How do you write 解开?

解开 is made of 2 characters: 解 (13 strokes), 开 (4 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.

Is 解开 an HSK word?

Yes. 解开 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 解开 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 解开 is written 解開.

Can 解开 be used for feelings or problems?

Yes. You can say 解开心结 (jiěkāi xīnjié), to resolve an emotional knot, or 解开谜团 (jiěkāi mítuán), to solve a mystery.

What is the difference between 解开 and 解决?

解决 (jiějué) means to solve or settle a problem in general. 解开 focuses on untangling something, so it fits knots, puzzles and mysteries better than everyday tasks.