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開綠燈

简开绿灯 · 繁開綠燈

Mandarin · pinyin kāi lǜ dēng

to give the green light
to give the go-ahead

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Characters in this entry

開: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
綠: lǜ · green; chlorine
燈: dēng · lantern, lamp
开: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
绿: lǜ · green; chlorine
灯: dēng · lantern, lamp

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–4–1 · kai1 lu:4 deng1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

開綠燈 · find source passages ↗ · 开绿灯 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hoi1 luk6 dang1

Cantonese word readings for 開綠燈. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

verb

(colloquial) to give the green light; to permit or allow someone or something

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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