离开

• Pinyin: lí kāi
• Hanzi breakdown: 离 (lí) — to leave, to be apart from; 开 (kāi) — to open, away

Meaning

To leave; to depart from. To move away from a place or person.

Used for physically leaving a location or figuratively leaving a relationship, job, or situation. Can be followed by a place noun or used on its own.

Examples

1. 他已经离开北京了。 He has already left Beijing.
2. 请不要离开这里。 Please don't leave here.
3. 她昨天离开了公司。 She left the company yesterday.

Usage Guide

Context: travel, workplace, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我明天要离开上海。(I'm leaving Shanghai tomorrow.)
• 他已经离开了。(He has already left.)

Don't Say

• 不要说'离开这本书' (Don't use 离开 with objects you carry — it means to leave a place or person, not to put something down)

Origin & History

Compound of 离 (to leave, to be apart) and 开 (to open, to move away). Together they express the act of departing.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal