Meaning of 起来
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to stand up; to get up
- also pr. [qi3lai2]
- (after a verb) indicating the beginning and continuation of an action or a state
- indicating an upward movement (e.g. after 站[zhan4])
- indicating completion
- (after a perception verb, e.g. 看[kan4]) expressing preliminary judgment
- also pr. [qi3lai5]
How to use 起来
On its own, 起来 means to get up or stand up. After another verb it adds a sense of upward movement (站起来, stand up), starting an action (笑起来, start laughing), or a first impression (看起来, it looks like). Example: 他突然笑起来了。(Tā tūrán xiào qǐlái le.) He suddenly started laughing.
起 (qǐ) means to rise and 来 (lái) means to come, so 起来 is simply "rise and come up." Picture yourself getting out of bed and coming up to your feet.
Common mistake: Learners often say 看起来 when they mean 看出来 (kàn chūlái). 看起来 gives an impression ("it looks..."), while 看出来 means you managed to notice or figure something out. Also, after a verb 起来 is usually pronounced lightly, as qilai, not with full tones.
起来 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
起 qǐ · to rise · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
来 lái · to come · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 起来.
| 一起 | yīqǐ | (in) the same place; together; in company (with) |
| 回来 | huílái | to return; to come back |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 出来 | chūlái | to come out; to appear |
| 进来 | jìnlái | to come in |
| 来到 | láidào | to arrive; to come |
| 起床 | qǐchuáng | to get out of bed; to get up |
| 过来 | guòlái | to come over; to manage |
| 带来 | dàilái | to bring; (fig.) to bring about; to produce |
| 来自 | láizì | to come from (a place); From: (in email header) |
| 原来 | yuánlái | original; former; originally; formerly; at first |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
Questions about 起来
What does 起来 mean?
起来 (qǐlái) means "to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2]".
How do you write 起来?
起来 is made of 2 characters: 起 (10 strokes), 来 (7 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 起来 an HSK word?
Yes. 起来 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 起来 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 起来 is written 起來|起來.
Where does the object go with 起来, as in "start singing a song"?
The object goes between 起 and 来: 唱起歌来 (chàng qǐ gē lái), start singing. Saying 唱起来歌 sounds wrong to native speakers.
What is the difference between 起来 and 起床 (qǐchuáng)?
起床 specifically means getting out of bed in the morning. 起来 is broader and can mean standing up from a chair, getting up from the floor, or getting out of bed. A parent might say 快起来！(Kuài qǐlái) to wake a child, but 起床 is more precise for daily routines.