Dictionary › 起

起

qǐ

Old HSK 1 HSK 3.0 character level 1 Character

起 (qǐ) means "to rise; to raise; to get up". It is an HSK 3.0 level 3 word, and was HSK 1 in the old six-level list.

What 起 means

1. to rise
2. to raise
3. to get up
4. to set out
5. to start
6. to appear
7. to launch
8. to initiate (action)
9. to draft
10. to establish
11. to get (from a depot or counter)
12. verb suffix, to start
13. starting from (a time, place, price etc)
14. classifier for occurrences or unpredictable events: case, instance
15. classifier for groups: batch, group

Example sentences

• 起立。
  Qǐlì.
  Stand up.
• 起床!
  Get out of bed!
• 起立！
  Stand up!
• 对不起。
  I'm sorry.
• 起来吧！
  Get up!
• 拿起来。
  Pick it up.

Words starting with 起

• 起来qi lai(after a verb) indicating the beginning and continuation of an action or a state…
• 起床qǐ chuángto get out of bed; to get up
• 起飞qǐ fēi(of an aircraft or rocket) to take off; to lift off…
• 起码qǐ mǎat the minimum; at the very least
• 起初qǐ chūoriginally; at first; at the outset
• 起伏qǐ fúto move up and down; to undulate; ups and downs
• 起源qǐ yuánorigin; to originate; to come from
• 起义qǐ yìuprising; insurrection; revolt
• 起草qǐ cǎoto make a draft; to draw up (plans)
• 起哄qǐ hòngto heckle; rowdy jeering; to create a disturbance
• 起身qǐ shēnto get up; to leave; to set forth
• 起点qǐ diǎnstarting point
• 起诉qǐ sùto sue; to bring a lawsuit against; to prosecute
• 起步qǐ bùto set out; to set in motion; the start (of some activity)
• 起作用qǐ zuò yòngto have an effect; to play a role; to be operative
• 起劲qǐ jìnenergetic; vigorous; enthusiastic
• 起先qǐ xiānat first; in the beginning
• 起名qǐ míngto name; to christen; to take a name
• 起因qǐ yīncause; a factor (leading to an effect)
• 起见qǐ jiànmotive; purpose; (sth) being the motive or purpose
• 起立qǐ lìto stand; Stand up!
• 起头qǐ tóuto start; at first; beginning
• 起火qǐ huǒto catch fire; to cook; to get angry
• 起居qǐ jūeveryday life; regular pattern of life

Words containing 起

• 一起yī qǐ(in) the same place; together; in company (with); altogether; in total
• 对不起duì bu qǐI'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint
• 想起xiǎng qǐto recall; to think of; to call to mind
• 引起yǐn qǐto give rise to; to lead to; to cause; to arouse
• 了不起liǎo bu qǐamazing; terrific; extraordinary
• 看不起kàn bu qǐto look down upon; to despise
• 掀起xiān qǐto lift; to raise (a lid etc); (of a storm) to surge; to stir up (waves etc)…
• 看起来kàn qǐ laiseemingly; apparently; looks as if; appears to be; gives the impression that…
• 站起来zhàn qǐ laito stand up
• 拿起ná qǐto pick up
• 抬起tái qǐto lift up
• 说起shuō qǐto mention; to bring up (a subject); with regard to
• 提起tí qǐto mention; to bring up; (lit. and fig.) to lift; to raise…
• 响起xiǎng qǐ(of a sound) to come forth; (of a sound source) to ring out; to sound
• 举起jǔ qǐto heave; to lift; to raise up
• 比起bǐ qǐcompared with
• 发起fā qǐto originate; to initiate; to launch (an attack, an initiative etc)
• 升起shēng qǐto raise; to hoist; to rise
• 谈起tán qǐto mention; to speak of; to talk about
• 听起来tīng qi laito sound like
• 兴起xīng qǐto rise; to spring up; to burgeon
• 崛起jué qǐto rise abruptly (to a towering position); to tower over; to spring up
• 早起zǎo qǐto get up early
• 激起jī qǐto arouse; to evoke; to cause

Characters built on 巳

These share the phonetic component 巳 (sì), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 异yìdifferent; other; hetero-
• 祀sìto sacrifice; to offer libation to
• 汜sìstream which returns after branching
• 圯yíbridge, bank

Characters that look like 起

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 耗hàoto waste; to spend; to consume
• 翅chì(bound form) wing (of a bird or insect)
• 赵zhàoto surpass (old)
• 掀xiānto lift (a lid); to rock; to convulse
• 郝Hǎoancient place name; surname Hao
• 耜sìplow; plowshare

Sounds the same

Read qǐ, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 企(bound form) to stand on tiptoe and look; to anticipate; to look forward to…
• 启to open; to start; to initiate
• 乞to beg
• 岂how? (emphatic question)
• 绮beautiful; open-work silk
• 杞Chinese wolfberry shrub (Lycium chinense); willow
• 稽to bow to the ground
• 呇star
• 芑Panicum miliaceum
• 屺(literary) a barren hill
• 綮embroidered banner
• 棨tally for going through a pass

Where 起 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of HSK 1 Characters · Set 6 (HSK 1), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 1 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read qǐ correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.