Definition
开山 is a separable verb (离合词) that literally means 'to open a mountain' — originally referring to quarrying or cutting into a mountain for stone, and later extended to mean 'to pioneer' or 'to be the founder' of a school of thought, tradition, or enterprise. In Buddhist context it means 'to build the first temple on a famous mountain,' establishing a new monastery. As a separable verb, you can insert elements between 开 and 山, like 开了山 or 开过山.
v.o.
to cut into a mountain (for quarrying, mining, or road-building)to pioneerto be the founder (of a school, tradition, or enterprise)
Examples
- 开山。Zhège gōngchéng xūyào kāi shān xiū lù.This project requires cutting into the mountain to build a road.
- 开山。Tā shì zhège xuépài de kāi shān zǔshī.He is the founding master of this school of thought.
- ，。Tāmen zài zhèlǐ kāi le shān, jiàn le yí zuò miào.They cut into the mountain here and built a temple.
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