揭

jiē

扌 + 曷

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

jiē (verb) to uncover; to expose; to reveal

jiē (verb) to take off (a lid)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 曷 represents the sound.

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 曷

About

揭 is a phono-semantic compound: it combines the hand radical 扌 (a reduced form of 手 'hand') on the left, indicating a manual action, with the phonetic component 曷 on the right, which supplies the sound. Its original concrete meaning is to lift, raise, or uncover something, like removing a lid to reveal what lies beneath. From this physical act of uncovering, the character took on figurative meanings: to expose a hidden truth, announce something publicly, reveal a secret, or deliberately bring a concealed matter to light.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他揭开了谜底。

Tā jiē kāi le mí dǐ.

He revealed the answer to the riddle.

新闻揭露了真相。

Xīn wén jiē lù le zhēn xiàng.

The news exposed the truth.

他揭发了公司的丑闻。

Tā jiē fā le gōng sī de chǒu wén.

He exposed the company's scandal.

市长今天为雕像揭幕。

Shì zhǎng jīn tiān wèi diāo xiàng jiē mù.

The mayor unveiled the statue today.

她揭穿了他的谎言。

Tā jiē chuān le tā de huǎng yán.

She exposed his lie.

比赛结果即将揭晓。

Bǐ sài jié guǒ jí jiāng jiē xiǎo.

The competition results will be announced soon.

调查揭开了事件背后的秘密。

Diào chá jiē kāi le shì jiàn bèi hòu de mì mì.

The investigation uncovered the secrets behind the incident.

在会议上，他勇敢地揭露了管理层的不当行为。

Zài huì yì shàng, tā yǒng gǎn de jiē lù le guǎn lǐ céng de bù dàng xíng wéi.

At the meeting, he bravely exposed the misconduct of the management.

Related Characters

Component: 扌

Component: 曷

揭