Definition
滚开 is a verb-complement compound with two very different meanings. The literal sense means 'to come to a boil' (of water or other liquids) — 滚 means 'to boil' and 开 marks the result of the boiling action being in full swing. The colloquial sense is an imperative command meaning 'Get lost!' or 'Scram!' — here 滚 carries the meaning of 'to roll away' and 开 indicates 'away'. In both cases, the compound can be followed by aspect markers like 了, but it is not typically split with inserted words.
r.v.
(resultative verb) to come to a boil (of water, etc.)(imperative, colloquial) get lost! scram!
Examples
- 滚开，。Shuǐ yǐjīng gǔn kāi le, kěyǐ pào chá le.The water has already boiled, so you can make tea.
- 滚开，！Nǐ kuài diǎn gǔn kāi, wǒ bù xiǎng zài kàndào nǐ!You'd better scram—I don't want to see you again!
- “滚开”。Tā duì wǒ shuō le shēng “gǔn kāi” jiù tóu yě bù huí de zǒu le.He said 'Get lost' to me and walked away without looking back.
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