离开
líkāi · HSK 2
leave
🚪👋 离 = leave/part + 开 = open; together: open the door and depart
离 carries the sense of separation or parting from something; 开 means to open. The pair literally reads as 'part + open' — opening up distance between you and a place. Common verb for leaving, departing, or deviating.
离 — top 亠 + 凶 + 禸 (animal track)
Originally depicted a long-tailed bird caught in a net, from which the early sense 'oriole' arose. The character was later borrowed phonetically for the unrelated verb meaning 'to leave' or 'be apart from,' which became its dominant modern usage. The original bird sense faded out of everyday use.
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'.