开垦

• Pinyin: kāi kěn
• Hanzi breakdown: 开 = to open; 垦 = to cultivate wasteland (土 earth as semantic component)

Meaning

To reclaim; to cultivate (wasteland); to bring under cultivation.

Refers to turning uncultivated land — wasteland, forests, marshes — into farmland. An important concept in agricultural history and development. Also used figuratively for pioneering new areas. Collocates with 荒地 (wasteland), 土地 (land), 农田 (farmland), 拓荒者 (pioneer).

Examples

1. 早期移民在这片荒野上开垦土地，建立起最初的定居点。 Early immigrants reclaimed land in this wilderness and established the first settlements.
2. 过度开垦导致水土流失严重，政府现在推行退耕还林政策。 Excessive cultivation has caused serious soil erosion — the government now promotes policies of returning farmland to forests.
3. 爷爷年轻时带着全家来到北大荒开垦，吃了很多苦。 When grandpa was young, he brought the whole family to the Northern Wilderness to reclaim land, enduring great hardship.

Usage Guide

Context: agriculture, history, development

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这片农田是祖辈开垦出来的。(This farmland was reclaimed by our ancestors.)
• 开垦荒地需要大量的人力和时间。(Reclaiming wasteland requires a lot of manpower and time.)

Don't Say

• 我开垦了一个新的电脑程序。(开垦 is for cultivating land — for developing software, use 开发)

Origin & History

开 (to open) + 垦 (to cultivate — 豸 component + 土 earth). To open up and cultivate land.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal