开机
kāijī
In Chinese, the phrase "power on" is translated as 开机 (kāijī).
The term 开机 is used specifically for powering on or booting up electronic devices, such as computers, smartphones or tablets. It is not used for general mechanical machines.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of 开 (kāi), meaning 'to open' or 'to start' and 机 (jī), which is a shorthand for 机器 (jīqì), meaning 'machine'. Literally, it means 'to open the machine'.
Which one should you use?
The opposite of 开机 is 关机 (guānjī), where 关 (guān) means 'to close' or 'to turn off'. You may also see 开机了 (kāijī le), where adding the particle 了 (le) indicates that the device has successfully completed the power-on process or has just started up.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the particle 了 (le) after 开机 (kāijī) can be used to indicate that the device has powered on or has just completed the startup process.
How do you pronounce it?
kāijī
Did you know?
- In modern internet slang, 开机 can be used metaphorically to describe someone 'waking up' or becoming mentally alert after a period of sluggishness.
- In the film industry, 开机 refers to the official start of principal photography for a movie rather than powering on equipment.
- While 机 (jī) means 'machine' in 开机, it also appears in 机会 (jīhuì), meaning 'opportunity', based on the ancient idea of a weaving machine or mechanism of fate.
Examples in context
- 在会议开始之前，请打开电源。Please turn on the power before the meeting starts.
- 我要看电影，你能帮我开机吗？I want to watch a movie, can you help me power on the device?
- 请帮我开机。Qǐng bāng wǒ kāijī.Please power on the computer for me.
- 电脑还没开机。Diànnǎo hái méi kāijī.The computer hasn't powered on yet.
- 开机之后要等一会儿。Kāijī zhīhòu yào děng yīhuìr.You need to wait a moment after powering it on.
Example conversation
At home, Zhiqiang is helping Yuting with her new laptop.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你的电脑开机了吗？Nǐ de diànnǎo kāijī le ma?Did you power on your computer?
- 雨婷 Yuting我试了，但是没开机。Wǒ shì le, dànshì méi kāijī.I tried, but it didn't power on.
- 志强 Zhiqiang可能是没电了。Kěnéng shì méi diàn le.Maybe it's out of battery.
- 雨婷 Yuting那我先充电吧。Nà wǒ xiān chōngdiàn ba.Then I will charge it first.
