起兵 (qǐ bīng) — to raise an army; to start a military campaign

Definition

起兵 (qǐ bīng) means to raise an army and launch a military campaign, usually against a ruling power or rival state — a term found in classical and historical writing, not everyday speech.

verb
to raise an armyto start a military campaign

Examples

  • 起兵，。
    Dāng shí zhū hóu fēn fēn qǐ bīng, zhēng duó tiān xià.
    At that time the feudal lords rose in arms one after another, competing for the realm.
  • 起兵。
    Tā men jué dìng qǐ bīng fǎn kàng bào zhèng.
    They decided to raise an army to resist the tyranny.
  • ，。
    Tā céng jīng qǐ guò yí cì bīng, dàn hěn kuài shī bài le.
    He once raised an army, but it failed quickly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

起qǐraise
兵bīngtroops

起 'raise' and 兵 'troops' mean raising an army.

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.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 斤斤jīna short axe
  • 廾廾gǒng2 hands

兵 combines 斤, a short axe, with 廾, two hands, showing a pair of hands holding a weapon.

Open 兵 →

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