開かい巻かん劈へき頭とう

Meanings

1

noun

very beginning of a book

rare term

Rare literary expression referring specifically to the opening lines or first page of a book. Not used in everyday conversation.

開かい巻かん劈へき頭とうの一いっ句くが読どく者しゃの心こころを掴つかむ。
The very first line of the book captures the reader's heart.

head, counter for large animals

Similar words

冒ぼう頭とう
冒頭 is the common word for 'beginning' of a text or speech, while 開巻劈頭 is a rare, book-specific literary term.
書かき出だし
書き出し is a general term for the opening of a written work, much more common than 開巻劈頭.

Etymology

A four-character compound of classical origin. 開巻 means 'opening a book', and 劈頭 means 'at the very start'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is a set phrase in literary Chinese and Japanese.