Discussion of 那头猪用嘴把门拱开了。/那頭豬用嘴把門拱開了。

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我用鼻子把灯拱开了 I used my nose to switch on the light - can 拱开 be used this way? I want to say “because my hands were full, I used my nose to switch on the light” or “While carrying the laundry basket, I used my nose to flick the light switch”

willkennedy

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In the sentence "我用鼻子把灯拱开了" (Wǒ yòng bízi bǎ dēng gǒng kāi le), the phrase "拱开" (gǒng kāi) is not typically used to describe switching on a light, thought it could be understood by native speakers.

"拱开" usually means to "push open" or "lift with a curving motion." For your intended meaning, it would be more appropriate to use "打开" (dǎ kāi), which means "to turn on" or "to open."

lisaC

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