TongTong
Sign in

起名 (qǐ míng) — to name, to give a name to someone or something

Definition

A separable verb meaning 'to give a name (to a person, pet, company, brand, etc.)' — to name. Often used with 给 (给…起名) or as 名字.

verb
to name, to give a name to someone or something

Examples

  • 。
    Wǒ gěi hái zi qǐ le gè míng zì jiào xiǎo míng.
    I gave my child the name Xiao Ming.
  • ，起名。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī gāng chéng lì, xū yào xiān qǐ míng.
    This company was just established; they need to come up with a name first.
  • ，起名。
    Bié jí, wǒ men màn màn shāng liang zěn me qǐ míng.
    Don't rush; we'll take our time discussing how to name it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

起qǐgive or start
名míngname

起 means to give or start, and 名 means name, so the word means to give a name.

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.

名 puts 夕 (crescent moon) above 口 (mouth), showing a name spoken in the dark.

Open 名 →
Appears in
Communication & Speech

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.