弹起 (tán qǐ) — to bounce up, to spring up

Definition

verb

to bounce upto spring up

Easily confused

弹起。
Qiú cóng dì shàng tán qǐ le.
The ball bounced up from the ground.
，弹起。
Tā yòng lì àn le yí xià, tán huáng tán qǐ le.
He pressed hard, and the spring bounced up.
，弹起。
Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā yí xià zi cóng yǐ zi shàng tán qǐ le.
Hearing the news, he sprang up from his chair.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

弹 means spring or bounce, and 起 means up, so the action is bouncing upward.

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 彈; 弹 is its simplified writing.

弓單彈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

單

單dān彈tán

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 彈 pairs 弓 (bow) with the sound part 單; the simplified 弹 is a shorthand.

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

走巳起

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

巳

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.