开学
kāixué · HSK 2
school
🏫📖 开学 = 开 (open) + 学 (study) — open up studies, i.e. term begins
开 means open/start and 学 means study/learning. Together 开学 literally reads as opening studies, used when school or a new term starts. Compare 开始 (begin) and 学校 (school) — same building blocks.
开 — two hands 廾 + door 门 (open gate)
Originally written 開, showing two hands (廾) lifting the bar (一) off a gate (門) to open it. The simplified form 开 keeps the two-hands element and drops the gate. Core meaning 'to open' extended to 'start, operate, bloom'.
学 — hands 𦥑 + roof 冖 + child 子
Originally 學, depicting two hands manipulating something (often interpreted as counting rods or the 爻 trigram symbols) under a roof, with a child 子 below — a child learning under instruction. The simplified form 学 replaces the top with a stylized 龸. Core meaning has always been 'to study, learn'.