掀

• Pinyin: xiān
• Hanzi breakdown: 掀 = 扌(hand) + 欣 (phonetic, joy — a light and upward gesture)

Meaning

To lift; to flip up; to raise. Describes the action of lifting or turning up a cover, lid, curtain, or similar surface — often with a single sweeping motion.

Typically implies lifting something that covers or conceals, such as a curtain (掀帘子), a pot lid (掀锅盖), or bedcovers (掀被子). The motion is often quick or dramatic. Extended uses include metaphorical lifting — 掀翻 (to overturn, to flip over entirely) and 掀起 (to stir up, to set off a wave of something).

Examples

1. 他急忙掀开锅盖，一股热气扑面而来，香味弥漫了整个厨房。 He hurriedly lifted the pot lid, and a wave of steam hit his face as the aroma filled the entire kitchen.
2. 强风掀起路边的广告牌，砸向停在旁边的几辆轿车，所幸没有人员受伤。 Strong winds flipped up a roadside billboard and smashed it into several cars parked nearby. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
3. 她轻轻掀开窗帘的一角，朝楼下望去，确认来访者的身份后才放松下来。 She gently lifted a corner of the curtain and looked downstairs; only after confirming the visitor’s identity did she relax.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, weather, literature

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 考古队清理现场时小心掀起文物表层薄土，生怕一不留神损坏千年珍器，过程要求极高的耐心。(When clearing the site, the archaeological team carefully lifted the thin soil covering the relics, fearing that a careless move might damage the thousand-year-old treasures, so the process demanded great patience.)
• 她掀开那本尘封已久的相册，泛黄的照片让她瞬间回到了那段充满笑声与欢聚的岁月，眼眶不知不觉地湿润了。(She lifted the cover of the long-sealed photo album, and the yellowed photographs instantly transported her back to those years filled with laughter and togetherness, her eyes becoming moist without her noticing.)

Don't Say

• 掀 for actions involving pulling open doors or drawers — use 拉开 or 推开; 掀 specifically applies to surfaces that are lifted or flipped up, not slid or pulled open

Origin & History

掀 = 手 (hand) + 欣 (joy — phonetic component suggesting the lightness of lifting)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal