剪彩 (jiǎncǎi) — to cut the ribbon at an opening ceremony

Characters in this word

Strokes: 11
Radical: 刀 — knife
Made of: 前 in front, forward 刀 knife
How it's built: Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

Strokes: 11
Radical: 彡 — hair
Made of: 采 to collect, to gather 彡 hair
How it's built: Phono-semantic — one part hints at the meaning, another at the sound

新馆落成那天，几位长期资助项目的老人受邀上台剪彩。 Xīn guǎn luòchéng nà tiān, jǐ wèi chángqī zīzhù xiàngmù de lǎorén shòuyāo shàngtái jiǎncǎi. On the day the new hall was completed, several elderly long-term project donors were invited on stage to cut the ribbon.
商场开业那天，经理亲自上台剪彩。 Shāngchǎng kāiyè nà tiān, jīnglǐ qīnzì shàngtái jiǎncǎi. On the day the mall opened, the manager came on stage to cut the ribbon himself.
市民代表为新建的公园剪彩，大家鼓起掌来。 Shìmín dàibiǎo wèi xīnjiàn de gōngyuán jiǎncǎi, dàjiā gǔ qǐ zhǎng lái. A citizen representative cut the ribbon for the new park, and everyone began to applaud.