<p>我要打开外套的拉链 is fine.  打开 has the sense of &quot;open&quot;.  &quot;I want to open the zipper of my jacket&quot; is a good interpretation.</p>
<p>拉开(unzip) also works. E. g.  拉开拉链; 把拉链拉开;etc.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-30T08:21:15.043Z
No, it's not natural. in Chinese, 打开 means to split the object by pulling the object apart in a perpendicular direction. You can 打开 a door, a handbag, a window, a box, etc. If you need to pull something like a string to make another object open, or to make it open along its direction, use 拉开, like a blind (with a rope), a curtain (along the rail), and, of course, a zipper.
Winfred Huang
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-30T10:34:11.103Z
@AurusHuang Colloquially, it's ok.  I hear people use it.  I also hear 把窗帘打开 in spoken.  It might not be that accurate in written.  But I do hear it's used in spoken.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-30T10:39:06.263Z
@AurusHuang Actually, if you search 打开拉链 or 打开窗帘 on Baidu, you would get many hits there.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-02T03:27:12.510Z
Personally I haven't hear 打开拉链 ever. People around me always say 拉开拉链 and 拉开窗帘. P.S. I'm a native Chinese living in Beijing.
Winfred Huang
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-04T01:04:21.703Z
@dan I appreciate you offering an answer, but I feel you left out the addressing why Rosetta Stone is using it. Aurus Huang seems to know what he's/she's talking about, being native to China - even in Beijing. Which causes me to think that Shaw above also has this right. Maybe Rosetta Stone made a mistake. Could be that it's acceptable colloquially - but I'd probably get corrected by many native Chinese if they catch me using it.
Jason Cramer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-04T01:31:43.470Z
@JasonCramer I'd say some pedants might correct you for this.  But some native speakers do use it like that.  E.g.打开拉链 or 打开窗帘. This can be approved if you can make a quick search on Baidu.  There are many hits.  E. g. https://m.baidu.com/from=1001192w/s?word=%E6%89%93%E5%BC%80%E7%AA%97%E5%B8%98&ts=5447164&t_kt=0&ie=utf-8&fm_kl=996ba20d4b&rsv_iqid=4047512107&rsv_t=cff62XGRFpivrAMzERTZO9r6QbIgLfXfgr54ZqMQVPoCBgWW64JlMgVnIxl%252BcFE&sa=is_1&rsv_pq=4047512107&rsv_sug4=5191&ss=110&inputT=1854&sugid=5483308824015907899&rq=%E6%89%93%E5%BC%80&tj=1
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-04T01:33:18.960Z
@JasonCramer I don't want to prove anything. This is just what I take as another native speaker(if this matters). If you want to speak more accurate language, you don't have to use it. However, you wouldn't be surprise d to see someone else use it in casual circumstances.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-30T02:59:42.517Z
2020-11-30T02:59:42.517Z
dan
<p>I have been trying to figure out what is happening here since I was told by TrainChinese (a Chinese dictionary and flash cards app) that 打卡 is never used with 拉链. They referred me to 拉开. Are they wrong? Is Rosetta Stone using the incorrect phrasing in fact? I sent the screenshot to TrainChinese and they did not respond.</p>
<p>The full phrase in question is 我要打开外套的拉链</p>
<p>I'd also like a good translation included. My own translation would be &quot;I want to unzip my jacket&quot; or more literally &quot;I want to open the zipper of my jacket&quot;. This led me to thinking that 打开 would also mean &quot;to unzip&quot; in this context. Maybe Rosetta Stone is wrong?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ngSj3.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ngSj3.jpg" alt="Screenshot of Rosetta Stone slide with phrase in question. Lower-right tile for context." /></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-29T14:39:42.217Z
use 打开' in  '我要打开外套';  use 拉开 in '我要拉开外套的拉链'  (I have to unzip the zipper of my jacket); use 打开 in 外套的拉链打开了 (the jacket's zipper is open)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-29T21:01:48.987Z
Think you r right, that is a more likely a Chinese sentence translated from the English version, rather than a native expression.
Shaw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-30T01:52:37.240Z
Would 解开 be more "native"?
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-04T01:09:27.427Z
@TangHo this does seem right what you said. It makes sense. So do you feel that Rosetta Stone made a mistake here? Shaw also seems to think so. Aurus Huang below seems to agree that 打开 isn't really the right way to say it, but rather 拉开. Any other thoughts?
Jason Cramer
<translation>
Why Does Rosetta Stone Use 打开 With 拉链?
# Why Does Rosetta Stone Use 打开 With 拉链?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-11-29)

I have been trying to figure out what is happening here since I was told by TrainChinese (a Chinese dictionary and flash cards app) that 打卡 is never used with 拉链. They referred me to 拉开. Are they wrong? Is Rosetta Stone using the incorrect phrasing in fact? I sent the screenshot to TrainChinese and they did not respond.

The full phrase in question is 我要打开外套的拉链

I'd also like a good translation included. My own translation would be "I want to unzip my jacket" or more literally "I want to open the zipper of my jacket". This led me to thinking that 打开 would also mean "to unzip" in this context. Maybe Rosetta Stone is wrong?

[![Screenshot of Rosetta Stone slide with phrase in question. Lower-right tile for context.](https://i.sstatic.net/ngSj3.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/ngSj3.jpg)

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: use 打开' in  '我要打开外套';  use 拉开 in '我要拉开外套的拉链'  (I have to unzip the zipper of my jacket); use 打开 in 外套的拉链打开了 (the jacket's zipper is open)  
> **username_2**: Think you r right, that is a more likely a Chinese sentence translated from the English version, rather than a native expression.  
> **username_3**: Would 解开 be more "native"?  
> **username_0**: @TangHo this does seem right what you said. It makes sense. So do you feel that Rosetta Stone made a mistake here? username_2 also seems to think so. Aurus Huang below seems to agree that 打开 isn't really the right way to say it, but rather 拉开. Any other thoughts?  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-11-30. Score: 0 | Accepted answer

我要打开外套的拉链 is fine. 打开 has the sense of "open". "I want to open the zipper of my jacket" is a good interpretation.

拉开(unzip) also works. E. g. 拉开拉链; 把拉链拉开;etc.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: No, it's not natural. in Chinese, 打开 means to split the object by pulling the object apart in a perpendicular direction. You can 打开 a door, a handbag, a window, a box, etc. If you need to pull something like a string to make another object open, or to make it open along its direction, use 拉开, like a blind (with a rope), a curtain (along the rail), and, of course, a zipper.  
> **username_4**: @AurusHuang Colloquially, it's ok.  I hear people use it.  I also hear 把窗帘打开 in spoken.  It might not be that accurate in written.  But I do hear it's used in spoken.  
> **username_4**: @AurusHuang Actually, if you search 打开拉链 or 打开窗帘 on Baidu, you would get many hits there.  
> **username_5**: Personally I haven't hear 打开拉链 ever. People around me always say 拉开拉链 and 拉开窗帘. P.S. I'm a native Chinese living in Beijing.  
> **username_0**: @username_4 I appreciate you offering an answer, but I feel you left out the addressing why Rosetta Stone is using it. Aurus Huang seems to know what he's/she's talking about, being native to China - even in Beijing. Which causes me to think that username_2 above also has this right. Maybe Rosetta Stone made a mistake. Could be that it's acceptable colloquially - but I'd probably get corrected by many native Chinese if they catch me using it.  
> **username_4**: @JasonCramer I'd say some peusername_4ts might correct you for this.  But some native speakers do use it like that.  E.g.打开拉链 or 打开窗帘. This can be approved if you can make a quick search on Baidu.  There are many hits.  E. g. https://m.baidu.com/from=1001192w/s?word=%E6%89%93%E5%BC%80%E7%AA%97%E5%B8%98&ts=5447164&t_kt=0&ie=utf-8&fm_kl=996ba20d4b&rsv_iqid=4047512107&rsv_t=cff62XGRFpivrAMzERTZO9r6QbIgLfXfgr54ZqMQVPoCBgWW64JlMgVnIxl%252BcFE&sa=is_1&rsv_pq=4047512107&rsv_sug4=5191&ss=110&inputT=1854&sugid=5483308824015907899&rq=%E6%89%93%E5%BC%80&tj=1  
> **username_4**: @JasonCramer I don't want to prove anything. This is just what I take as another native speaker(if this matters). If you want to speak more accurate language, you don't have to use it. However, you wouldn't be surprise d to see someone else use it in casual circumstances.  

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