Definition
开战 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to start a war' or 'to go to war'. It can be used literally for armed conflict between countries or groups, and also figuratively for the start of a fierce competition or argument (e.g., in business or sports). Because it is a verb-object construction, the components 开 and 战 can split: you insert aspect markers, measure words, or complements between them — for example, 开了战 (started a war), 开过一次战 (fought a war once). When specifying an opponent, use a preposition like 跟, 和, or 与 before the noun.
v.o.
to start a warto go to warto battle against
Examples
- 开战。Liǎng guó zhōngyú kāi zhàn le.The two countries finally went to war.
- 。Tāmen hé lín guó kāi guò yí cì zhàn.They fought a war with the neighboring country once.
- 开战。Zhè liǎng jiā gōngsī kāishǐ zài shìchǎng shàng kāi zhàn.These two companies began to go to war in the market.
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