举起 (jǔ qǐ) — to raise; to lift

Definition

verb
to raiseto lift

Examples

  • 举起。
    Tā yòng lì jǔ qǐ le zhuō zi.
    He lifted the table with effort.
  • 举起。
    Yùn dòng yuán jǔ qǐ le jiǎng bēi.
    The athlete raised the trophy.
  • 举起。
    Wǒ men yì qǐ jǔ qǐ qí zhì.
    We raised the flag together.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

举jǔlift
起qǐup

举 means lift and 起 adds the upward result, so it means raise or lift up.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 舉; 举 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
與
與yǔ舉jǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 舉 pairs 與, which gives the sound, with 手, a hand; the simplified 举 is a later shorthand.

Open 举 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì起qǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

起 is made from 走 and 巳: 走 is the part connected with walking or running, and 巳 gives the sound.

Open 起 →

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